insects and Ir^seGticides. 




F Bel men, del 



PLATE I.— Transformations of the Celery Caterpillar. 



INSECTS 



•AND- 



INSECTICIDES. 



A PRACTICAL MANUAL 



CONCERNING 



Noxious Insects and the Methods of Preventing 
their Injuries. 

BY yS 
CLARENCE M.' WEED, D. Sc, 

Professor of Entomology and Zoology, New Hampshire College of Agricul- 
ture and Mechanic Arts ; recently Entomologist, Ohio Agricultural 
Experiment Station ; Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society 
of England, and of the American Association for the Ad- 
vancement of Science; Member of the Society for the 
Promotion of Agricultural Science, Societe' Entomol- 
ogique de France, Cambridge Entomological 
Club, Association of Economic 
Entomologists, etc. 



WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS. 






Published by the Author: 

hanover, new hampshire, 

1891. 



Copyright, 1891, by Clarence M.Weed 



Press of Gazette Printing House 
Columbus, Ohio. 



PREFACE. 

This little volume has been prepared for the pur- 
pose of furnishing the farmer, the fruit-grower, the 
floriculturist, and the house-keeper with a concise 
account of the more important injurious insects with 
which they have to contend, together with a summary 
of the latest knowledge concerning the best methods 
of preventing or counteracting the injuries of these 
pests. In its preparation free use has been made of 
the information scattered through the literature of 
economic entomology; and, as a rule, it has been 
found impracticable to give to each author credit for 
first working out the life-histories of the various 
species. In one way or another the contributions 
of nearly every American economic • entomologist 
have been drawn upon ; but especial mention should 
be made of the help obtained from the publications 
of Dr. C. V. Riley, United States entomologist, whose 
remarkable investigations during the last quarter of 
a century have placed him foremost among the 
world's economic entomologists. A large proportion 
of the insect life-histories summarized in the follow- 
ing pages were first worked out by him, or under 
his direction. Mention should also be made of the 



4 PEEFACE. 

aid derived from the writings of Messrs. Forbes, 
Cook, Comstock, Lintner, -Garm-an, Howard, Harvey, 
Bruner, Webster, Saunders, Osborn, Gillette, Fletcher 
and many others. 

The illustrations of this volume have also been 
gleaned from various sources. Many of them were 
printed from electrotypes obtained by duplicating a 
series of cuts belonging to the Ohio Agricultural 
Experiment Station, thanks to the permission of 
Director C. E. Thorne ; and the rest have been gotten 
from several sources. The original authors to whom 
each should be credited is indicated in the following 
lists : 

After Eiley :— Plate IV, and Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 
10, 13 (p. 40), 14, 16-20, 22, 23, 26, 36, 38, 39,41-43, 
47-52, 53 (reduced), 54-67, 68 (reduced), 69, 70, 72, 
87, 88, 90, 91, 92a, 98, 99-106, 113, 114, 116, 123, 
125, 126, 127 (reduced), 130, 131, 133-135, 138, 140- 
144 ; after Lugger, Fig. 6 ; after Harris, Figs. 15, 48 ; 
after Harris and Saunders, Fig. 129 ; reduced from 
Osborn, Figs. 137, 139 ; after Garman, Figs. 30, 33, 34, 
37, 111 (reduced), 112 (reduced), 122 (reduced); after 
after Bruner, Fig. 73 ; after Glover, Fig. 35 ; after Miss 
Ormerod, Fig. 136 ; after Harvey, Fig. 21 ; after Com- 
stock, Figs. 28, 89, 109. Fig. 7 is from the Field 
Force Pump Company, and Figs. 11, 27 and 28 have 



PREFACE. 5 

been obtained from the publishers of Farm and Fire- 
side. The following have been drawn under the 
author's supervision, by Miss Freda Detmers : Plates 
I, IT, III, V, VI, VII, and Figs. 3, 8, 12, 12J (p. 38), 
24, 25, 31, 40, 44-47, 74-80, 82, 83 (p. 157), 85, 86, 
92 6, 93-97, 107, 108, 115, 120, 121,124,129,132. 
All the figures are natural size unless otherwise 
stated, and wherever a straight line occurs beside a 
magnified drawing, it represents the length of the 
specimen figured. 

A small edition of the first three parts of this 
work was published in connection with the Eeport 
of the Columbus, (Ohio) Horticultural Society for 
1890. 

I have attempted to make the discussions of life- 
histories and remedies as plain and simple as possi- 
ble, omitting, so far as practicable, all technical terms, 
and have included only such details as are nec- 
essary to a practical understanding of the subjects 
treated of. In several cases where the scientific des- 
ignations of species have been lately changed, the 
old form has been retained, because articles concern- 
ing the insect can thus more easily be found in the 
literature of economic entomology. 

C. M. W. 
Hanover, New Hampshire, April, 1891. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Introduction , 9 

PART I. 
Insects Affecting the Larger Fruits. 

Apple 29 Pear 65 

Plum 58 Cherry 72 

Peach 77 



PART II. 
Insects Affecting Small Fruits. 

Strawberry 85 Raspberry and Blackberry 103 

Currants and Gooseberries.. 96 Grape 108 



PART III. 

Insects Affecting Shade Trees, Ornamental Plants, and 

Flowers. 

Shade Trees 131 Rose 154 

Flowers 158 



PART IV. 
Insects Affecting Vegetables. 

Tomato 165 Bean and Pea 185 

Potato 168 Cabbage 188 

Celery 175 Onion 203 

Squash and Cucumber 176 Asparagus 204 

Rhubarb 183 



PART V. 

Insects Affecting Cereal and Forage Crops. 

Indian Corn 209 Clover , 234 

Wheat 220 Grass 242 



PART VI. 
Insect Pests of Domestic Animals and the Household. 

Insects Affecting Domestic Animals 257 

Insect Pests of the Household 267 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 



PLATE I. 

Transformations of the Celery Caterpillar. Frontispiece. 



a, egg. 

6, full-grown larva. 
c, front view of head of same, with 
scent organs extended. 



d, chrysalis. 

e, butterfly at rest. 

/, butterfly with wings spread. 
a and c are slightly magnified. 



PLATE II. 

A Group of Aegerian Moths (Twice Natural Size). 



1. Peach Tree-borer, Sanninaexitiosa, 

male. 

2. Peach Tree-borer, Sannina exiliosa, 

female. 

3. Pear Tree-borer,.4e<7eriap?/ri,male. 



4. Imported Currant-borer, Aegeria 

tipuliformis, male. 

5. Maple Tree-borer, Aegeria acemi, 

female. 

6. Aegeria lustrans. 



7. Plum Tree-borer, Aegeria pictipes. 



PLATE III. 

A Group of Leaf-hoppers. (Much Magnified.) 



1. Typhlocyba obliqua. 

2. Typhlocyba Iricincta. 

3. Typhlocyba basilaris. 



4. Typhlocyba comes. 

5. Typhlocyba vitis. 

6. Typhlocyba vulnerata. 
7. Typhlocyba vitifex. 



PLATE IV. 

The Cecropia Emperor-moth. Platysamia cecropia. 



PLATE V. 

The Tomato-worm Sphinx. Phlegethontius celeus. 



PLATE VI. 

The Striped Harvest Spider. Liobunum vittatum. 



PLATE VII. 

The Screw-worm. Comjisomyia macellaria. 



Insects and Insecticides 



INTRODUCTION. 

The agriculturist has continually to contend with 
two classes of organisms that injure his crops. The 
first of these are the noxious insects, and the second, 
the parasitic fungi. These foes annually destroy 
many million dollars worth of produce in the United 
States, a large portion of which might be saved by 
the timely application of the various methods of 
prevention and remedy that are now known. The 
pages which follow are devoted to a consideration of 
the more important of the first named of these ene- 
mies — the noxious insects — and to the methods of 
preventing their injuries. 

Insects are distinguished from related animals by 
having three pairs of feet, fitted for locomotion, at- 
tached to a body divided into three principal parts 
— head, thorax and abdomen. A majority of them 
are also characterized by undergoing during their 
development a series of well-marked changes, or 
transformations. Such insects exist in four distinct 
stages, namely : (1) the egg ; (2) the larva or cater- 
pillar ; (3) the pupa or chrysalis ; and (4) the adult 
or imago. As an example of these changes we may 
take the Celery Caterpillar, the transformations of 
which are illustrated at Plate I. The adult butterfly, 
a handsome, black creature, with yellow and blue 
1 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

markings on its wings ( Plate I, e, /,), deposits an egg 
on the under side of the celery leaf. This egg (a) is 
a small, light yellow object, nearly spherical, though 
slightly flattened where it is attached to the leaf. 
A week or so after it has been laid there hatches 
from it a small caterpillar or ' worm,' less than one- 
tenth of an inch long, black, with two transverse 
white bands — one across the middle of the body and 
the other at the posterior extremity — and having 
the. back roughened with minute, black, projecting 
points. This little caterpillar feeds upon the celery 
leaf, and within a few days so increases in size that 
it becomes necessary to shed its skin, or moult. For 
this purpose the skin splits along the back and the 
caterpillar walks out, clothed in a new skin that had 
been formed beneath the old one. The color mark- 
ings are somewhat different on this new covering. 
The caterpillar continues feeding and growing for 
several weeks, casting its skin at occasional intervals, 
and changing considerably in color and markings. 
When full grown it is of the form and size indicated 
at b on the plate, the general color being pale green, 
with a series of transverse bands of black and yellow 
markings. When irritated it thrusts out, from a slit 
just back of the head, a pair of peculiar yellow Y- 
shaped organs, that emit a disagreeable odor. These 
organs are represented at b on the caterpillar, and at c 
is shown a front view of the head, with them extend- 
ed. They doubtless serve as a protection from vari- 
ous enemies. 



TRANSFORMATIONS OF INSECTS. 11 

The full grown caterpillar becomes restless, and 
leaving the plant, seeks some sheltered situation in 
which to pupate. " It first spins," says Dr. Harris, 
" a little web or tuft of silk against the surface where- 
on it is resting, and entangles the hooks of its hind- 
most feet in it, so as to fix them securely to the spot ■ 
it then proceeds to make a loop, or girth, of many 
silken threads, bent into the form of the letter U, the 
ends of which are fastened to the surface on which 
it rests on each side of the middle of its body ; and 
under 'this, when finished, it passes its head and 
gradually works the loop over its back, so as to 
support the body and prevent it from falling down- 
wards. Within twenty -four hours after it has taken 
its station, the caterpillar casts off its caterpillar skin, 
and becomes a chrysalis, or pupa ( Plate I, d ) of a 
pale green, ochre-yellow, or ash-gray color, with two 
short ear-like projections above the head, just below 
which, on the back, is a little prominence like a pug- 
nose. The chrysalis hangs in the same way as the 
caterpillar, and remains in this state from nine to 
fifteen days, according to the temperature. When 
this period is terminated, the skin of the chrysalis 
bursts open, and the butterfly issues from it, clings 
to the empty shell till its cramped and drooping 
wings have extended to their full dimensions, and 
have become dried, upon which it flies away in pur- 
suit of companions and food." 

Besides celery this caterpillar feeds upon parsley, 
carrots, and related plants. The butterfly is known 
to entomologists as Papilio asterias. 



12 



INTRODUCTION. 




Fig. 1. Chinch Bug 
Magnified. 



Insects which undegro such a marked series of 
changes as those above described are said to have 
complete transformations, to distinguish them from 
those which do not undergo so 
marked. a series of changes — those 
with incomplete transformations. In 
one stage of existence — that of the 
chrysalis or pupa — insects of the 
first class take no food and are 
unable to move about. With these, 
also, the young or larva differs 
greatly in form and appearance 
from the adult. Thus, caterpillars 
are very unlike the butterflies and 
moths into which they develop, and larval honey 
bees differ greatly from the adults ; but with the in- 
sects of the second class this marked difference does 
not exist. The Chinch Bug furnishes a good illus- 
tration of these transformations. The adult 
(Fig. 1) deposits 
eggs (Fig. 2. a, b) 
about the roots 
of grass and 
grain. From 
these hatch 
young bugs (c) 
that do not dif- 
fer in general m 
form from the 
adults. They suck the sap from various plants of 



bug 




2. Chinch Bug : a, b, eggs ; c, e, f, g, young 
bugs, or nymphs. Magnified. 



BITING AND SUCKING INSECTS. 13 

the grass family, gradually increasing in size, and 
moulting at intervals. In a few weeks they become 
nearly full grown, but instead of changing to a quiet 
chrysalis state, they simply moult again and continue 
feeding as before. In these early stages, which cor- 
respond to the larva and chrysalis, they are called 
nymphs. The older nymphs (g) are nearly as large 
as the full grown bugs, differing mainly in the 
absence of wings. In about a week they again moult 
and come forth as adult bugs. Grasshoppers, crick- 
ets, and all true bugs, undergo these incomplete 
transformations. 

BITING AND SUCKING INSECTS. 

Insects take their food in two ways : some insects 
bite, others suck. The former, of which the Colorado 
Potato Beetle is an example, are provided with jaws 
by which they can gnaw the surface of the food- 
plant. The latter have, instead, a pointed, tube-like 
beak which they can insert into the tissues of their 
host-plant, and suck out the sap. 

On account of this difference in feeding habits 
some insects can be destroyed by coating their food- 
plants with poison — the Colorado Potato Beetle for 
example — while others, like the plant-lice or 
Chinch Bug, must be treated with some insecticide 
that kills by contact. 

NATURAL ENEMIES OF INJURIOUS INSECTS. 

Injurious insects have many natural enemies to 
contend with. Among the larger animals they are 



14 



INTRODUCTION. 



preyed upon by ' the fowl of the air and the fish of 
the sea ' ; frogs lick them up with their viscid 
tongues, and toads are continually sending them in 
search of the ' mystic jewel ' within their bodies, while 
snakes, lizards, moles, skunks, and a host of other 
animals are their constant enemies. But more de- 
structive than any or all of these, are the foes of their 
own class — the predaceous and parasitic insects. 

Preclaceous insects are those which attack other 
insects from the outside, devouring them bodily, or 
sucking out their life blood. The 
handsome little lady-beetles (Fig. 3), 
[ the two-winged robber-flies, or the 
four- winged dragon-flies furnish good 
examples of this class. So, also, do 
the black ground beetles, found 
everywhere under sticks and stones. 
Some of the largest of these are called caterpillar 
hunters, because they feed upon canker-worms, army- 
worms, cut-worms, and various other insect pests. 
One of these ground beetles 
is shown at Fig. 4, the 
larva being represented at 
the left, and the beetle at 
the right. Other predace- 
ous insects live in ponds, 
lakes and rivers, devour- 
ing mosquitoes and related 
creatures, while still others Fig . 4 . - Ground Beetle 




Fig. 3.. Lady Beetle. 
Magnified. 




PARASITIC INSECTS. 15 

burrow through the earth and devour the insects 
found therein. 

Parasitic insects differ from their predaceous 
cousins, in that they develop within the bodies of 
their victims and thus destroy them. These, also, 
are exceedingly numerous, both in individuals and 
species. A good illustration of the habits of this 
class is found in the small, four-winged, black fly 
(shown natural size and magnified at the right in 
Fig. 5), that destroys the common Grape Caterpillar, 
an insect closely related to the familiar Tomato Worm 
or Tobacco Worm. This fly deposits a number of eggs 
beneath the skin of the caterpillar, and these eggs 
soon hatch into minute worms or maggots that ab- 
sorb the body juices of the worm and develop at his 
expense. After a few weeks these maggots become 
full grown, and burrow their way out through 
the skin of their hap- # 

less and helpless 
host. They then, 
spin their whit e, 
silken cocoons (Fig. 
5 ) upon his back. 

Fig. 5. Caterpillar with Cocoons of Parasite. 
YY lthlll these COCOOnS Adult Parasite at right. Latter magnified. 

they change to the pupa or chrysalis state. About 
two weeks later they again change, and the legless, 
little maggots find themselves transformed into neat 
and pretty black flies, with four wings and six legs, 
like the one which a few weeks before deposited in 
the caterpillar the eggs from which they developed. 




16 



INTRODUCTION. 



But these parasites are not always so successful as 
this, for they frequently furnish a striking illustra- 
tion of Dean Swift's oft-quoted couplet : 

The little fleas that do us tease 

Have other fleas that bite 'em, 
And these in turn have other fleas, 

And so on ad infinitum. 

These parasites are frequently subject to the at- 
tack of a still smaller para- 
site which destroys them as 
they destroyed their host. 
In such cases the first men- 
tioned species is called the 
primary parasite, and the 
other a secondary parasite. 
There are also foes of 
another kind from which 
injurious insects often suf- 
fer. These are the germs 
of contagious diseases, of a 
bacterial or fungous nature- 
The Imported Cabbage 
Worm, for example, is fre- 
quently attacked by a bac- 
terial disease — a sort of in- 
cholera — that destroys it in great numbers. 
Similar diseases affect, the Army Worm, the various 
cut-worms, and many other insects. Diseases of a 
sowewhat different nature, due to certain fungi other 
than bacteria, also attack many insects. For in- 
stance, the Chinch Bug is frequently destroyed in 




Chinch Bugs affected by 
Entomophora. 



sect 



THE PRINCIPAL INSECTICIDES 17 

great numbers by a fungus that develops on the sur- 
face of the bug as a dense, white covering. This dis- 
ease is illustrated at Fig. 6 : a number of dead bugs 
are shown on a wheat stalk on the left, while a sin- 
gle bug, much magnified, covered with the fungus, 
is represented at the right, This fungus belongs to 
a genus of plants called by botanists Entomophora. 

THE PRINCIPAL INSECTICIDES. 

Insecticides, or the substances used for destroying 
insects, may be broadly divided into two classes: 
(1) internal poisons, or those which take effect by 
being eaten along with the ordinary food of the in- 
sect ; and (2), external irritants, or those which act 
from the outside — closing the breathing pores, or 
causing death by irritation of the skin. Besides 
these, however, various other substances are used in 
preventing insect attack — keeping the pests away 
because of offensive odors, or acting simply as me- 
chanical barriers. 

The most important insecticides are the poisons. 
Of these the most popular are the various combina- 
tions of arsenic, known as Paris green, London pur- 
ple, slug-shot, and a large number of patent insecti- 
cides sold under various names. 

Paris Green is a chemical combination of arsenic 
and copper, called arsenite of copper. It contains 
about fifty-five or sixty per cent, of arsenic, and re- 
tails at about thirty cents per pound. It is practi- 
cally insoluble in water, and may be applied either 



18 INTRODUCTION. 

dry or wet. In the former case it should be well 
mixed with some fine powder as a diluent : plaster, 
air-slaked lime, flour, road-dust, and finely-sifted 
wood ashes, all answer the purpose fairly well, though 
lime or plaster are usually j>referable. The propor- 
tion of poison to diluent varies greatly with different 
users — one part poison to fifty, and even one hun- 
dred, of diluent, will usually be effective, if the 
mixing be thoroughly done. In the wet mixture, for 
fruit and shade trees, use one pound poison to 250 
gallons of water, and keep well-stirred. The chief 
objection to Paris green is that it is so heavy that it 
settles quickly to the bottom of the vessel — very 
much more quickly than London purple. It is also 
more expensive. 

London Purple is a by-product obtained in .the 
manufacture of aniline dyes. It generally contains 
nearly the same percentage of arsenic as Paris green, 
which, however, is often in a more soluble form, and 
consequently it is more liable to injure foliage than 
Paris green. It is a finer powder than the green, and 
hence remains in suspension in water much longer. 
It is also cheaper, retailing at about fifteen cents per 
pound. It may be used in the same way — as a pow- 
der or in water suspension — and the proportions 
given above answer very well for it. But it should 
never be applied to plants having a foliage easily 
injured by these arsenites, like the peach or plum, 
Paris green being preferable for this purpose. 

White Arsenic is sometimes recommended as an 
insecticide, but, fortunately, is rarely used. It is much 



THE PKINCIPAL INSECTICIDES. 19 

more dangerous to have around than either of the 
above highly colored substances ; and unless applied 
as soon as it is mixed with water is very liable to 
burn the foliage. 

The principal substances used for killing insects, 
by contact, are the following : 

Hellebore is a powder made of the roots of a plant 
called white hellebore ( Veratrum album). It is a veg- 
etable poison, but much less dangerous than the 
mineral, arsenical poisons, and kills both by contact 
and by being eaten. It may be applied as a dry 
powder Or in water, an ounce to three gallons. It 
retails at about twenty-five cents per pound, and is 
es|)ecialry excellent in destroying the Imported Cur- 
rant Worm. 

Pyrethrum is an insecticide of recent introduction, 
made from the powdered flowers of plants of the 
genus Pyrethrum. There are three principal brands 
upon the market, known as Persian insect powder, 
Dalmatian insect powder, 'and Buhach — the latter 
being a California product. The greatest obstacle to 
the use of Pyrethrum has been the difficulty of ob- 
taining the pure, fresh article. After long exposure 
to air it seems to lose much of its insecticidal value. 
Hence dealers should purchase a fresh supply each 
season, and should keep it in air-tight vessels. Py- 
rethrum is used mainly as a dry powder or in water 
(one ounce to three gallons) ; but may also be used in 
the form of a tea, or a decoction, a fume, or an alco- 
holic extract diluted. For use as a dry powder it 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

may advantageously be diluted with six or eight 
parts of flour. It is especially excellent for clearing 
rooms of flies and mosquitoes, and for killing the 
•common cabbage worms. It is practically harmless 
to man and the higher animals. 

Kerosene Emulsion is prepared by adding two parts 
of kerosene to one part of a solution made by dissolv- 
ing half a pound of hard soap in one gallon of boil- 
ing water, and churning the mixture through a force 
pump with a rather small nozzle until the whole 
forms a creamy mass, which will thicken into a 
jelly-like substance on cooling. The soap solution 
should be hot when the kerosene is added, but of 
course must not be near a fire. The emulsion thus 
made is to be diluted, before using, with nine parts 
cold water. This substance destroys a large number 
of insects, such as the Chinch Bug, Cabbage Worm, 
and White Grub ; and is a comparatively cheap and 
effective insecticide. 

Besides its use as an emulsion, kerosene alone is 
frequently used for various pests. It is especially 
valuable in destroying vermin on domestic animals, 
and in hen houses. 

Carbolic Acid, especially in its crude state, is valu- 
able for various insecticidal purposes. An excellent 
wash for preventing the injuries of several tree borers 
is made by mixing one quart soft soap, or about a 
pound of hard soap, with two gallons water, heating 
to boiling, and then adding a pint of crude carbolic 
acid. Carbolic acid soaps are largely used for de- 
stroying vermin on domestic animals. 



THE PRINCIPAL INSECTICIDES. 21 

Tobacco is a very valuable insecticide for use 
against vermin on domestic animals, and green-house 
pests. It may be used in the form of a decoction, a 
smoke, or dry. The refuse stems and powders from 
the cigar factories are very valuable as insecticides 
and fertilizers, and frequently, in the middle west- 
ern states, they may be obtained for little or nothing. 

Bisulphide of Carbon is a volatile substance used 
for destroying grain insects, ants, the Grape Phyllox- 
era, and other insects which may be reached by a 
vapor. It is inflammable and should never be used 
in the vicinity of a fire. 

Benzine is another volatile substance used for much 
the same purposes as the last. 

Gasoline may also be mentioned in the same con- 
nection. 

. Coal Tar has been largely used in the west for de- 
stroying Rocky Mountain Locusts, being placed on 
flat pans, on which the insects jump and are caught. 
It is also employed to prevent the migrations of the 
Chinch Bug. A shallow V-shaped channel is made 
with the corner of a hoe along the borders of the 
field to be protected, and tar poured in. So long as 
the tar does not dry out, the immature Chinch Bugs 
cannot cross it. 

APPLYING INSECTICIDES. 

The methods of applying insecticides, of course, 
vary according to the nature of the substance, and 
the insect against which it is to be used. The 



22 



INTRODUCTION. 



powders, such as Paris green, London purple, helle- 
bore, etc.,' may be applied either dry or in water. 
When applied dry they should be dusted on the 
plants with a bellows or "powder gun," so that they 
will be distributed evenly. When applied in* water 
mixture the best effects are obtained by using a force 
pump and spray nozzle. There are a great many 
patterns of these spraying machines upon the mar- 
ket, nearly all of 
which do effect- 
ive work. The 
principal requi- 
sites of a good 
machine are 

Fig. 7. Spraying an Orchard. that it be dura- 

ble, easily worked, not too expensive, throw a fine 
spray, stir the liquid automatically, and that the 
reservoir holding the liquid be large enough for the 
purpose intended. One of these machines in opera- 
tion in an orchard is represented at Fig. 7. Spraying 
pumps can be obtained of a number of firms who 
manufacture various styles of them. 




COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS. 

The apparatus for collecting insects is neither elab- 
orate nor expensive. One of the first essentials is a 
collecting net, which is used for catching butterflies, 
moths, bees, flies, wasps, and in fact, nearly all flying 
insects. To make it, obtain an iron wire about i of 
an inch in diameter, and bend it into a circular 



COLLECTING INSECTS. 23 

ring 12 or 13 inches in diameter, leaving the ends 
projecting at right angles to the circle, and welding 
them together so as to form a spur three or four 
inches long. Fasten this spur into the end of a 
broomstick, or any other convenient handle three or 
four feet long. Then sew over this wire circle a 
strip of strong muslin, an inch or two wide, and to 
this sew a bag of mosquito netting, swiss muslin, or 
some similar fabric, about three feet deep. For col- 
lecting insects in ponds, a shallower net is needed, 
and the cloth used should be of stronger material. 

After the insects are caught some way of killing 
them quickly, and without injury, is needed. For 
this purpose most entomologists use what is called 
the cyanide bottle. To make this, obtain almost any 
wide-mouthed glass bottle with a tight fitting cork ; 
place on the bottom two or three lumps of cyanide 
of potassium* the size of a hickory nut, cover these 
with plaster of Paris, and, finally, acid sufficient wa- 
ter to moisten the plaster and make it set. After it 
is hard pour off the surplus water if there is any, 
and let the bottle become thoroughly dry before in- 
serting the cork. This cyanide of potassium is poi- 
sonous, and of course must be handled carefully. If 
desired, the bottles may be prepared at drug stores, 
at small cost. After the plaster is set there is prac- 
tically no danger, unless the fumes of the bottle be 
directly inhaled, for which there is no excuse. Keep 
the bottle closed except when putting in an insect, 
The cyanide fumes, rising through the porous plas- 
ter, will kill it almost instantly. This cyanide bottle 



24 INTRODUCTION. 

is to be used especially for moths, butterflies, bees,, 
wasps and similar insects, but should not be used for 
worms and caterpillars, which are more successfully 
killed and preserved in alcohol. 

A pair of straight, medium sized, forceps are use- 
ful in collecting small insects. A supply of ordinary 
commercial alcohol, and of various sizes, (2, 3 and 
4 drachm) of short, homeopathic vials will be neces- 
sary if soft-bodied caterpillars, spiders, thousand- 
legged worms, etc., are collected. Empty morphine 
bottles are very convenient, An ordinary game bag 
is an excellent thing to carry the bottles, forceps and 
other ' traps ' in, while out collecting. 

For rearing insects, to study their transformations 
and habits, breeding cages of various kinds are needed. 
Almost any box may be used for this purpose, cover- 
ing it in part with gauze, and placing on the bottom 
an inch or two of moist earth, to prevent the drying 
of the atmosphere. Ordinary jelly tumblers are 
very useful for rearing small leaf-eating caterpillars,, 
and " bell glasses " or glass shades are quite handy. 
The cages should be examined daily, the food fre- 
quently renewed and the conditions which the insect 
would have in its natural habitat, should be supplied 
as far as possible. 

PRESERVING THE SPECIMENS. 

The first requisite for preserving insects, is a sup- 
ply of entomological pins, which are longer, and 
usually more slender than ordinary pins, answering 



COLLECTING INSECTS. 



25 



the purpose much better. What is known as the 
Klseger pin is the best made. It can be purchased 
of dealers in natural history supplies. These pins 
vary in size, according to number. No. 2, is used 
only for very small insects, while No. 5, is large 
enough for any of our species. For the majority of 
specimens of moderate size, No. 4 may be used. A 
supply of sheet-cork is also needed. This costs about 
fifty cents a dozen sheets, and may also be obtained 
of natural history supply dealers. 

Butterflies, moths, and some other insects require, 
for their proper preservation, what is called a 
'setting-board,' one of which is shown in Fig. 8 
It consists simply of two thin strips of pine 
board, twelve or sixteen inches long, nailed to end 
pieces, with a space varying from £ to f-inch be- 
tween the long strips : a piece of thin cork is fastened 

to the under side 
of the strips so as 
to cover this space. 
The pin on which 
the butterfly is fas- 
tened is pushed 
through the cork 
until the side 
Fig. 8 setting Board. pieces are level 

with the base of the wings. The wings are then 
brought forward until the posterior borders of the 
front ones are at right angles to the body, and they 
are then fastened in place by pieces of card-board 
2 




26 INTRODUCTION. 

held down with pins, as shown in the illustration. 
The insect should be left thus fastened until dry, so 
that the wings will remain in the position indicated. 
This usually requires from ten to fourteen days. 

Some sort of boxes or cases in which to keep the 
specimens are of course necessary. The simplest and 
cheapest receptacle consists of empty cigar boxes, 
lined on the bottom with sheet cork. Tight wooden 
boxes of almost any kind will also answer the pur- 
pose. Shallow drawers with the bottoms lined with 
cork are excellent. 

The specimens must frecmently be examined to see 
that museum pests — insects which live on dead ani- 
mal tissues of all kinds — do not destroy them. 
When these are found, bake the specimens in an oven 
for an hour, at a temperature of 140° Fahrenheit. 

Moths, butterflies, bees, wasps, and a large number 
of similar insects should be pinned through the cen- 
ter of the thorax, or middle division of the body, the 
pin being pushed through until about one-third of 
its length remains above the insect. Beetles, how- 
ever, should be pinned through the right wing cov- 
er, and the true bugs through the triangular piece at 
the base of the wings, called the scutellum. 

Any one desiring to learn about the classification 
of insects will find the Introduction to Entomology, 
by Professor J. H. Comstock, Ithaca, New York, ex- 
tremely valuable. Professor Packard's books " En- 
tomology for Beginners," and " Guide to the Study 
of Insects," which can be obtained through book- 
dealers, will also prove helpful. 



PART I. 



INSECTS 
AFFECTING THE LARGER FRUITS. 




PLATE II.— A Group of Aegerian Moths, (magnified.) 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 

INJURING THE TRUNK. 

The Round-headed Apple-tree Borer. 

Saperda Candida. 

The three later stages of this insect are shown at 
Fig. 9. The beetle (c) is easily recognized by the 
brown color of its body, and the two conspicuous, 
longitudinal, whitish stripes along its back. It ap- 
pears early in summer, and deposits its eggs on the 
tree-trunks, in or under the bark, within a few inches 
of the ground, frequently placing them just above 
the soil surface, or even below it where the ground is 
cracked open so that the beetle can descend without 
difficulty. The insect makes a slit-like opening in 
the bark, into which the egg is pushed. A few days 
later the egg hatches into a larva or grub, which 
gnaws its way into the inner bark or sap-wood, 
where it continues to feed throughout the season. 
As winter approaches it frequently burrows downward 
below the surface of the ground, and rests there until 
spring, when it again works upward and gnaws the 
inner bark and sapwood as before. It rests again 
the following winter, and in spring gnaws its way 
deeper into the body of the trunk, cutting cylindrical 
channels in every direction. Late in summer it 



30 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



bores upwards and outwards to the bark, lining a 
cavity at the end of its burrow with dust-like cast- 
ings, and there rests until spring, when it changes to 
the dormant chrysalis state (6). The adult beetle 
emerges from the chrysalis about a fortnight later,. 






Fig. 9. Round-Headed Apple-tree Borer : a, larva ; 6, pupa ; c, beetle. 

eats a hole through the bark with its strong jaws, 
and comes forth to continue the propagation of the 
species. Thus three years are required for the de- 
velopment of the insect. 

The place where the larva enters may frequently 
be detected, especially in young trees, by the sawdust- 
like castings that are pushed out. The eggs also 
may often be seen, and are easily destroyed by press- 
ing on the bark surrounding them with a knife-blade 
or some similar instrument. The presence of the- 
larva is shown later by the discoloration of the bark 
where it. is at work. 

The full grown grub, or larva, of the Round- 
headed Borer, is illustrated at a, Fig. 9. It is about 



INJURING THE TRUNK. 31 

an inch long, wholly without feet, whitish, with a 
chestnut-brown head and black jaws. The pupa or 
chrysalis (b) is lighter colored than the larva, and 
has numerous small spines on its back. 

Remedies. — The injuries of this insect may be 
prevented by applying late in May, or early in June, 
and again about three weeks later, a strong solution 
of soft soap, to which has been added a little crude 
carbolic acid. This mixture may be conveniently 
made by mixing one quart of soft soap, or about a 
pound of hard soap, with two gallons of water, 
heating to boiling, and then adding a pint of crude 
carbolic acid. The solution should be thoroughly 
applied (a scrub brush is excellent for the purpose) 
to the trunk and larger branches of the tree. If the 
bark of the trees is especially rough, it should be 
scraped before the wash* is applied ; and the soil 
should be smoothed down about the base of the 
trunk, so that there will be no cracks for the insects 
to enter to deposit their eggs. Of course the object 
of this application is to prevent the laying of the 
eggs from which the grubs hatch. As an additional 
precaution it is well to examine the trees during the 
late summer and early autumn months for eggs and 
young grubs, which are readily detected, and can be 
easily destroyed with a knife. In this way one man 
can go over an orchard of five hundred or more young- 
trees in a day. 



32 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



The Flat-headed Apple-tree Borer. 

Chrysobothris femorata. 

This insect is very different, both in its adult and 
larval states, from the one just discussed. The adult 
beetle, instead of being cylindrical in form and 
brown in color, is flattened and greenish-black. It 
appears, however, at about the same season as the 
other, and the life histories of the two species are in 
general much alike, the principal difference being 
that the present species requires less time to develop, 
and attacks the tree higher up, being found all the 
way up the trunk, and frequently in the larger 
branches. 

The front end of the larva, which is illustrated at 
Fig. 10, a, is enlarged and flat- 
tened while the rest of the 
body is much narrower, and 
tapers slightly towards the 
posterior extremity. It is of 
a pale yellow color and has no 
feet. The pupa (b) is at first 
whitish, but becomes darker as 
the beetle develops. As noted 
above, the adult beetle (d) is of 
a .HVa • & F1 p^T?ionfoFa shining, greenish -black color, 

larva, lower side ;d, beetle. -* an(i hag short, Stout legs. It 

may often be seen basking in the sunshine in sum- 
mer, on the sides of trees and logs. 




INJURING THE BRANCHES. 33 

The eggs of this insect are deposited early in sum- 
mer in the crevices, and under the scales of the bark, 
being fastened in place by a glutinous substance. In 
a few days the larva hatches and bores through the 
bark to the sapwood, in which it cuts broad, fiat 
channels, and sometimes completely girdles the tree. 
As it develops it bores farther into the solid wood, 
and when fully grown again approaches the surface. 
When ready to become a pupa it gnaws partially 
through the bark, and then casts its last larval skin. 
About a fortnight later the pupa changes to a beetle 
which gnaws its way through the bark, and thus 
completes the cycle of development. 

Remedies. — The directions given above for the 
Eound-headed Borer are also applicable to this 
insect. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 

The Oyster-shell Bark-louse. 

Mytilaspis pomorum. 

A piece of bark covered with the scales of this in- 
sect is represented in Fig. 11. If one of these scales 




s^-- 



1 



Fig. 11. Oyster-shell Bark-louse. 

be raised early in spring there will be found beneath 
it a mass of yellowish or whitish eggs, which hatch 



34 INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 

about the middle of May into small lice, that appear 
as mere specks to the naked eye. These move about 
over the bark a few days, when they fix themselves 
upon it, inserting their tiny beaks far enough to 
reach the sap. Here they continue to increase in 
size, and by the end of the season have secreted scaly 
coverings like those shown in the illustration. 

Remedies. — During the winter and early spring 
as many of the scales should be scraped off the trunk 
and larger branches as possible. On large trees this 
may be done by first scraping with some instrument 
like a hoe, and then thoroughly scrubbing with a 
scrub-brush or broom, dipped in a solution made by 
adding one part of crude carbolic acid to seven parts 
of a solution made by dissolving one quart of soft 
soap, or one-fourth of a pound of hard soap, in two 
quarts of boiling water. The bark of young trees 
is so tender that they must be scraped carefully, if 
at all. A scrub-brush is the best thing to use for 
applying the soap mixture, as the bristles remove 
many scales which a cloth would slide over. Then 
in May or June, soon after the young lice have 
hatched, the trees should be sprayed with kerosene 
emulsion. The emulsion must be thoroughly mixed, 
with none of the kerosene floating separately, or it is 
liable to injure the foliage. When the lice are young 
they are very readily destroyed by this substance. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 35 



The Woolly Aphis. 

Schizoneura lanigera. 

There are frequently found on the limbs and 
trunks of young apple trees, masses of a white, woolly 
substance, similar to that occurring on the limbs of 
maple trees infested by the Maple Bark-louse. If 
one of these masses be examined there is found be- 
neath it one or more small, yellowish plant-lice. 
This is the insect that has for a long time been pop- 
ularly known as the Woolly Aphis. There are two 
forms of the insect, one attacking the roots, the pres- 
ence of which may be easily detected by the knotty 
appearance of the infested rootlets, and one attacking 
the limbs and trunk. Like other aphides, these in- 
sects multiply rapidly during the summer months, 
by giving birth to living young. Most of these sum- 
mer forms are wingless, but occasionally winged 
ones are found. They all injure the tree hy sucking- 
out its sap through their tiny beaks. They are es- 
pecially liable to infest young trees, or those which 
are unhealthy. The woolly matter which they se- 
crete as a covering serves to protect them from the 
damp earth, in their subterranean home on the roots, 
and probably is a partial protection from enemies 
above ground. It is not a complete protection, how- 
ever, as they are preyed upon by a small, parasitic 
fly and by lady-bird beetles and their larvae. 



36 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



Remedies. — Where these insects are upon the 
roots of trees they may be destroyed by applying 
scalding water, or kerosene emulsion. Refuse tobacco 
powder dug in about the roots will also destroy 
them. Where they are upon parts of the tree above 
ground, they may be destroyed by spraying with 
kerosene emulsion. 



The Buffalo Tree-hopper. 

Ceresa bubalus. 

One sometimes finds the twigs of young apple 
trees exhibiting a peculiar, scarred appearance like 
that represented at c, Fig. 12. These are due to the 
egg punctures of the above named insect. 

The' Buffalo Tree-hopper is a small greenish or 
yellowish insect, about one-third of an inch long, 




Fig. 12. Buffalo Tree-hopper: a, back view ; 6, side view, both slightly 
magnified ; c, apple twig showing egg punctures. 

which is generally rather common during the late 
summer and early autumn months. A fair idea of 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 37 

its form, which has been compared to that of a 
beechnut, may be obtained from a and b, Fig 12. 
Its mouth consists of a sharp beak, which it inserts 
into the bark and sucks the sap. The eggs are laid 
in the upper part of the twigs of apple, pear, maple 
and various other fruit and shade trees, mostly dur- 
ing the late summer or early autumn months. They 
hatch the following May into small, active, greenish 
hoppers, somewhat like the adults in appearance, 
which insert their tiny beaks in the tender bark and 
suck out the sap. They become full-grown about 
midsummer, and feed, in both the young and adult 
states, on a great variety of plants. 

This insect is said to have certain parasitic ene- 
mies that destroy its eggs. This is probably the 
reason that it seldom becomes seriously injurious. 

Remedies. — It is always more difficult to prevent 
the injuries of an insect that feeds upon a large var- 
iety of plants, both wild and cultivated, than one 
which is confined for food to the single crop injured. 
As a rule it is also more difficult to fight those in- 
sects which get their food by sucking, than those 
which bite. The Buffalo Tree-hopper combines 
both of these characteristics, so that from the nature 
of the case we may expect it to be a difficult insect 
to overcome. Probably the most satisfactory method 
of destroying the pests will be to spray the trees just 
after the eggs hatch, with kerosene emulsion, made 
as directed in the Introduction. In those cases 
where the trees are infested by bark-lice, as well as 



38 INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 

the present pest, the same spraying may be made to 
kill both. By destroying the progeny of the eggs in 
this way, the crop of egg-laying specimens will be 
reduced, but it will not necessarily prevent the hop- 
pers which develop in neighboring localities from in- 
vading the orchard to deposit eggs. When possible 
infested twigs should be cut out and burned. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Apple Aphis. 

Aphis mali. 

During the spring and early summer, one often 
finds the leaves and tender twigs of apple covered 

with small green lice or 
aphides. These are the 
Apple Aphis. They injure 
the trees by sucking the 
sap through their tiny 
beaks. So far as we now 
know it, the life-history of. 
these insects is as follows : 
The lice hatch from eggs 
, in spring as soon as the 

Fig 13. Apple Aphis. ? » 

much magnified. leaf-buds begin to expand, 

and increase with marvelous rapidity, so that almost 
as fast as the leaves develop there are colonies of the 
plant-lice to occupy them. They continue breeding 
on apple until July, when they largely leave the 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 39 1 

trees, and migrate — we know not where, but proba- 
bly to some annual plant that is succulent in mid- 
summer. Here, apparently, they continue breeding 
until autumn, when they return to apple, and the 
winged females may be found establishing colonies 
of the wingless, egg-laying form upon the leaves. 
The males are apparently developed on the same 
plant that the winged females are. The small, oval 
eggs are now laid on the twigs and buds, and the 
cycle for the year is complete. 

Remedies. — These lice have various natural ene- 
mies that destroy them — especially the lady-bird 
beetles — but it is often necessary to spray infested 
trees with kerosene emulsion, or a strong tobacco de- 
coction to .get rid of them. The latter may be made 
by soaking refuse tobacco stems in hot water, and 
then draining the liquid off. 

The Canker Worm. 

Anisopteryx pometaria. 

Apple orchards are occasionally infested in spring 
by a looping caterpillar, or " measuring worm," that 
feeds upon the parenchyma of the leaf, leaving the 
net work of veins, so that the foliage looks brown 
and scorched. These are canker worms, of which, 
according to Dr. Riley's observations, we have two 
distinct species. But both are similar in habits and 
injuries, and for the present purpose only one will 
be discussed. This is called the Fall Canker Worm. 



40 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 




If, during the winter, or early spring months, one 
examines the branches of apple trees, in orchards 
where this insect has been at work, he will find com- 
pact masses of a hundred or more small, cylindrical 
eggs like that shown at e, Fig. 13. About the time 

the leaves begin 
to come out, 
these eggs hatch 
into small, loop- 
ing caterpillars 
that feed upon 
the f o J i a g e. 
They continue 
feeding and 
growing for sev- 
eral weeks, when 
they become full grown, and look like /, Fig 13. 
They are about an inch long, quite slender, 
and vary from a greenish-yellow to a dark brown 
color. The Canker Worm then either crawls down 
the tree to the ground, or lets itself down, spider-like, 
on a silken thread. There it burrows into the soil 
three or four inches, where it spins a silken cocoon, 
within which it changes to the pupa, or chrysalis 
state (g), remaining in this condition until autumn, 
when it emerges as a moth. 

The two sexes of these Canker Worm moths dif- 
fer greatly. The male (a), has large well developed 
wings, while the female (6), is wingless. The latter 
is of an ashy gray color. When she emerges from 



Fig. 13. Canker Worm : e, eggs ; /, larva ; 
<7, pupa ; a, male moth ; 6, female moth. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 41 

the chrysalis state she crawls to the base of the tree, 
and ascends the trunk some distance. Here the 
male finds her, and after mating, she begins the de- 
position of eggs. These are placed on the twigs or 
branches of the tree. 

The other Canker Worm (Anisopteryx vernata) is 
similar to this in habits, but most of the moths ap- 
pear in the spring, rather than autumn. Hence it is 
commonly called the Spring Canker Worm. 

Besides apple, these insects feed upon elm, cherry, 
plum and various other fruit and shade trees. 

Remedies. — There are various natural enemies 
that prey upon these Canker Worms : these include 
both birds, and preclaceous or parasitic insects. The 
simplest artificial remedy is to spray the trees soon 
after the worms hatch, with Paris green or London 
purple — a pound to 200 gallons of water. Or the 
ascent of the egg-laying moths may be prevented 
by applying tar, or printers ink, or some such sub- 
stance, about the base of the tree— putting it on a 
band of paper if there is fear of injuring the tree by 
applying it directly to the bark. There are also var- 
ious collars of metal or glass that are manufactured 
to place around the tree, and prevent the moths go- 
ing up. But spraying is simpler and more effectual 
than any of these. 



42 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



The Apple-tree Tent Caterpillar. 

Clisiocampa americana. 

One often finds in May or June, on the limbs of 
apple and wild cherry trees, compact silken nests, or 
tents, containing a considerable number of handsome 
caterpillars. These are the insects which have been 




Fig. 14. Tent Caterpillar : a, b, larva; c, eggs, with covering 
removed; d, cocoon; e, eggs, with covering on. 

known for many years as Tent Caterpillars. The 
eggs are deposited during July, in compact masses of 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 43 

two or three hundred each, upon the twigs, as shown 
at c, Fig. 14. After they are laid the parent moth 
covers them with a viscid liquid, which dries into a 
sort of varnish that completely coats them, as rep- 
resented at e. The insect remains in this egg state 
from July until the following spring, when the little 
caterpillars emerge from the eggs, and begin feeding 
upon the tender foliage of the buds about them. In 
a few days they begin to make a silken tent, utilizing 
generally, for this purpose, a fork of the branch. As 
time goes on the nest is enlarged. The caterpillars 
retire to the tent at night, and during cold and wet 
weather, and when not feeding. The} 7 have regular 
times for their meals, leaving and returning to the- 
nest in processions. They become full grown in 
about six weeks, being extremely voracious during 
the latter part of their development. They are then 
nearly two inches long, with a hairy body, orna- 
mented with a distinct white stripe along the mid- 
dle of the back, on each side of which are numerous 
short, yellow, longitudinal lines, rather irregularly 
arranged. The sides are partially covered with paler 
lines, spotted and streaked with blue, while the low- 
er surface of the body is black. The full grown 
caterpillar is represented at a and b, Fig. 14. 

Most of the caterpillars leave the tree where their 
nest is, as fast as they become full grown, and crawl 
about in search of a suitable shelter to pupate in. 
Having found this — beneath a board, or in the 
cracks of a fence — they spin an oval, silken cocooin 




Fig. 15. Moth of Tent Caterpillar. 



44 INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 

(d), yellow when completed, within which they 
change to the pupa or chrysalis . state. In two or 
three weeks another change takes place, and from 

the cocoons come forth 
reddish-brown moths, 
of the size and form 
represented at Fig. 15. 
These moths pair and 
in a short time deposit 
the clusters of eggs, 
after which they soon die. Thus there is but one 
brood each season. 

Remedies. — It is usually easy to destroy the 
nests of this insect, either by cutting and burning 
the infested branch, or using a torch made by sat- 
urating a piece of cloth, tied to the end of a stick, 
with kerosene. In either case the operation should 
be performed early in the morning, before the insects 
have left the tent, or in the evening after they have 
returned. Spraying with Paris green is also an 
effectual remedy. There are certain parasites prey-. 
ing upon this insect that aid greatly in keeping it in 
check. 

The Lesser Apple Leaf-roller. 

Teras minuta. 
This is a greenish-yellow, slightly hairy worm, 
about half an inch long, affecting the young leaves 
of the terminal twigs, with which the insect forms a 
protective case. It is especially injurious in nurser- 
ies and young orchards. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



45 



This species is remarkable in that two of the three 
broods of moths which appear during the year are of 
a bright orange color, while those of the third brood 
are reddish-gray. It is an example of what natural- 
ists call dimorphism. 

The eggs are laid in the spring on the unfolding 
leaves of apple, cranberry, whortle berry and possi- 
bly other plants, the lar- 
vae soon hatching to de- 
vour the tender foliage, 
some of which they roll 
into a protective cover- 
ing. Here they continue 
feeding for about a 
month, when they pu- 
pate within the folded 
leaves, and a week or so 
later emerge as small, orange-yellow moths. These 
moths lay eggs for another brood of larva?, the imagos 
from which appear in August, being also of the same 
orange color. These in turn lay eggs for a 
third brood of worms, which develop during Sep- 
tember, and emerge during October as glistening 
reddish-gray moths, which pass the winter in rub- 
bish heaps, fence corners and similar places of con- 
cealment, and deposit eggs on the unfolding leaves 
of the various food plants of the larvae the following 
spring. Thus this remarkable cycle of insect life is 
completed. 




Fig. 16. Lesser Leaf-roller : a, larva ; 
6, pupa ; c, moth ; d, rolled-leaf. 



46 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



Remedies. — In fruiting orchards that are regu- 
larly sprayed with the arsenites to prevent Codling 
Moth injury, this insect is ' not likely to prove 
troublesome. But in nurseries and young orchards 
it is frequently quite destructive. Spraying with the 
arsenites is probably as promising as any general 
remedy in these cases, though the experience of nur- 
serymen has shown that on young nursery stock the 
insect may advantageously be destroyed by hiring 
boys to crush the larvae within their cases. 



The Yellow-necked Apple-tree Caterpillar. 

Datana ministra. 
During the latter part of summer the orchardist 
occasionally finds one or more limbs of his apple 
trees entirely denuded of their foliage by a troop of 
large, striped caterpillars, like the one shown at Fig. 
17, a. These are the progeny of a set of eggs (c, d ) 




Fig. 17. Yellow-necked Caterpillar : a, larva ; b, moth ; c, eggs ; 
d, magnified egg. 

laid during June or July by a large moth (b) with a. 
chestnut-brown thorax, and light brown wings, striped 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 47 

with brown of a darker shade. The very young 
larvae feed only upon the parenchyma of the leaf, 
leaving a network of bare veins, but they soon 
grow large enough to eat veins and all. They are 
gregarious, feeding together and denuding the 
limb as they go. When at rest or alarmed, they 
assume the peculiar position shown in the figure. 
They become full-grown in about six weeks, when 
they descend to the ground and burrow into the soil 
three or four inches, where they change to the pupa 
state. They remain in this condition until the fol- 
lowing summer, when they emerge again as moths. 
Consequently, there is but one brood a year. 

Remedies. — Birds and various insect enemies 
prey upon this caterpillar to such an extent that it 
rarely becomes injurious. When it does, however, 
it may easily be destroyed by spraying the infested 
trees with Paris green in water mixture, or by cutting 
and burning the twigs on which the larvse are 
feeding. 

The Leaf-crumpler. 

Phycis indigenella. 
One often finds during the winter months upon 
the twigs of various fruit trees, masses of dry brown 
leaves, that, when pulled apart, are seen to surround 
a long, tubular, horn-like case. If one of these cases 
be carefully cut open it will be found to contain a 
brownish worm or caterpillar, about half an inch 
long. This insect is the Leaf-crumpler, and it often 
becomes one of the most injurious of orchard pests. 



48 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



The adult insect is a small, grayish moth (Fig. 18, 
d,) that appears during June or July, and deposits 
eggs on the various trees that serve as food plants 
for the larvae. These include the apple, quince and 
possibly the peach, as well as both the wild and cul- 
tivated varieties of the cherry, plum, and crab-apple. 

From these eggs 
there soon hatch 
small brownish 
w o r m s that con- 
struct tubular, silk- 
en cases (a) within 
which they remain 
concealed when 
not eating. As they 
grow larger they 
draw about the 
openings of their 
abodes many par- 
tially eaten leaves, 
so that by autumn 
there is quite a 
bunch surround- 
ing each case (b). At the approach of cold weather 
the cases are attached to the twigs by means of silk- 
en threads, the larvae frequently gnawing away the 
tender bark to insure a firm hold ; and thus the win- 
ter is passed. As soon in spring as the leaves begin 
to appear, the larvae attack them, frequently eating 
out the flower buds as well. They continue feeding 




Fig. IS. Leaf-crumpler : a, larval case ; 6, lar- 
val ease with, dead leaves ; c, front part of 
larva ; d. moth, magnified. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 49 

and growing until sometime in June, when they be- 
come pupse, pupating within the cases. About a 
fortnight later the moths emerge, and thus the life- 
cycle is completed. 

There are several species of parasites that prey 
upon the Leaf-cram pier which greatly assist in keep- 
ing it in check. 

Remedies, — In young orchards the larval cases 
are easily picked off during the winter. They may 
be burned, or what is probably better, carried to a 
considerable distance from their food plants and left 
on the ground, thus allowing the parasites to develop 
and escape. The insect is also liable to destruction 
by spraying with Paris green, or London purple, and 
may easily be held in check in this way. Where or- 
chards are sprayed for the Codling Moth, the Leaf- 
crumplers present will also largely be destroyed. 

The Apple Leaf-skeletonizer. 

Pempelia hammondi. 

This is a brownish or greenish larva, one-half inch 
long, with short, scattered hairs upon its body, which 
spins a web upon the upper surface of the leaf, and 
eats the parenchyma, giving the foliage a scorched 
appearance. It is frequently very destructive to ap- 
ples, especially to young trees, either in the orchard 
or nursery. 

The life history of this insect may be briefly sum- 
marized as follows : The small purplish moths (Fig. 
19, d,) having two light bands upon the front wings, 



50 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 





a 



Fig. 19. Leaf-skeletonizer : a, larva; 6, 
part of back, magnified to show 
markings ; c, head and front part 
of larva, magnified ; d, moth, mag- 
nified. 



and expanding scarcely half an inch, lay their eggs, 

probably, on the leaves 
or tender twigs of the 
apple, late in spring, or 
early in summer. The 
larvse soon hatch and 
begin to eat the paren- 
chyma of the leaves, 
and as they grow older 
they spin a slight pro- 
tective silken web . on 
the upper surface of 
the leaf, beneath which 
they continue their de- 
structive work. When 
full grown (a) they vary 
from an olive, or pale green color to brown, are 
about half an inch long, and have four black shin- 
ing tubercles on the back, just behind the head. 
About midsummer these larvse pupate in slight 
cocoons, formed usually on the leaf, and two weeks 
later the moths emerge. Eggs are laid by these for 
the second brood of larva?, which form cocoons be- 
fore winter sets in, and hibernate as pupa?, the moths 
from them emerging the following spring. 

This species is very irregular in its development, 
it being easy to find larva? of nearly all ages almost 
any time during the season. The second brood is 
usually much more numerous than the first, and 
consequently the injury is most noticeable in Sep- 
tember and October. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 



51 



Remedies. — Like so many other orchard insects, 
this pest may be destroyed by spraying with the 
arsenites — three or four ounces of Paris green, or 
London purple, to fifty gallons of water. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Codling Moth or Apple Worm. 

Carpocapsa pomonella . 

This is the most generally injurious apple insect, 

and is probably known wherever the fruit is grown. 

The small, chocolate moth (Fig. 20, g,f) deposits its 

eggs in spring in the blossom end of the young 

apple (b) before the 
latter has turned 
down on its stem. 



From the egg there 
hatches a minute 
worm or caterpil- 
lar, which nibbles 
at the skin of the 
fruit and eats its 
way toward the 
core. Here it con- 
tinues feeding as 
the apple develops, 
increasing in size 
until at the end of 
three or four weeks it is about three-fourths of an 




Fig. 20. Codling Moth: a, injured apple: 
b, place where egg is laid ; e, larva ; d, pupa : 
i, cocoon ; g,f, moth ; h, head of larva. 



52 INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 

inch long, and appears as represented at e. It has 
now finished its caterpillar growth, and, leaving the 
apple, finds some crevice in the bark where it spins 
a rather slight silken cocoon in which it changes to 
a pupa. It remains in this condition about a fort- 
night, when it emerges as a moth like the one by 
which the original egg was laid. Thus the life cycle 
is completed. There are at least two broods in a 
season. 

Remedy. — The best remedy for this insect is that 
of spraying with the arsenites — Paris green or Lon- 
don purple — in spring, soon after the blossoms have 
fallen off, when the apples are from the size of a pea 
to that of a hickory nut, and before they have turned 
downward on their stems. A second application, ten 
days or two weeks after the first, is generally advisa- 
ble. The poisons may be used in the proportion of 
one pound to 250 gallons of water. The spraying 
should be clone with some kind of spraying pump 
and nozzle. 

Besides destroying the Codling Moth, spraying at 
the times indicated will largely prevent the injuries 
of the various leaf-eating caterpillars and the Plum 
and Apple Curculios. 

The Apple Maggot. 

Trypeta pomonella. 
The injury of this insect is at once distinguished 
from that of the Codling Moth from the fact that 
while the latter is largely confined to the region of 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 53 

the core, the Apple Maggot feeds indiscriminately 
through the pulp of the fruit, burrowing in every 
direction, as represented at Fig. 21. The larvse 




Fig. 21. Apple cut open, showing injury of Apple Maggot. 

themselves are also different, that of the Codling 
Moth having six legs, .while the AjDple Maggot is 
footless. 

The adult of the Apple Maggot is a two-winged 
fly that appears early in summer and deposits eggs 
in the partially grown apples. These eggs are in- 
serted, one in a place, through the skin of the fruit. 
In a few days they hatch into maggots, that tunnel 
the fruit in all directions, becoming full grown in 
five or six weeks, when they are whitish or greenish 
white, and about a quarter of an inch long. They 
then leave the fruit, and generally go into the soil 



54 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



an inch or less, where they change to the pupa state. 
They remain in this condition until the following 
summer, when they emerge as flies again. 

Remedies. — This insect is an exceedingly diffi- 
cult pest to contend with. Fortunately, as yet, it is 
only seriously injurious in comparatively few states. 
The destruction of all refuse or infested fruit, such as 
windfalls, apple pomace, etc., is the measure most 
highly recommended. 

The Apple Curculio. 

Anthonomus quadrigibbus. 

This insect in its adult state is represented magni- 
fied at Fig. 22, c showing a back view, and b a side 
view, while the natural 
size is represented by 
the small figure a, at the 
left of b. This is a beetle 
related to the Plum Cur- 
culio, but having a long- 
er snout. It is dull 
brown in color, and has 
four tubercles, or humps, 
on the hinder portion of its back. Before the gen- 
eral cultivation of the improved varieties of apple, it 
bred in wild crabs and haws. 

The adult beetles drill holes in young apples, both 
for food and the deposition of eggs. The latter are 
laid at the bottom of the cavity, and soon hatch into 
grubs or larva? that feed upon the pulp of the fruit. 




Fig. 22. Apple Curculio. Magnified. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 



55 ■ 




. Apple Curculio : a, pupa ; 
6, larva. Magnified. 



They usually penetrate to the core, where they con- 
tinue feeding four or five weeks. They then become 

full grown as larvae, 



and appear w h e n 
magnified like Fig. 
23, b, being footless, 
whitish grubs. The 
larva pupates within 
the cavity of the ap- 
ple where it has de- 
veloped, the pupa be- 
ing represented, magnified, at Fig. 23, a, and two or 
three weeks lat- 
e r it again 
chang es, this 
time emerging 
as a perfect bee- 
1 1 e, which 
gnaws its way 
out through the 
fruit. There is 
but one brood Fig - 24 - Apple injured by Curculi0 - 

each year, the insect hibernating in the beetle state. 
The fruit attacked by this pest becomes dwarfed, 
gnarly and ill-shapen, as shown at Fig. 24. 

Remedies. — The feeding and egg-laying habits of 
the adult of this insect render it liable to destruction 
by poisoning. Consequently spraying with the ar- 
senates; as for the Codling Moth, appears to be a 
sufficient remedy. 




56 INSECTS AFFECTING THE APPLE. 



Other Apple Insects. 

The apple is subject to attack by many insects be- 
sides those discussed i n the foregoing pages, which, 
however, include the most injurious pests. The 
trunk and branches are occasionally infested by the 
Scurfy Bark-louse (which will be found described on 
a later page as a pear insect) ; the leaves are some- 
times eaten by various caterpillars besides those 
mentioned . and the fruit is attacked by the Plum 
Curculio, as well as by the three species we have dis- 
cussed. But the treatment recommended will keep 
in check not only the insects included in our list, 
but also nearly, if not quite, all of these various 
other pests. 

Summary of Treatment. — Young apple trees 
should be examined for insects as soon as received 
from the nursery. If any Woolly Aphids are pres- 
ent on the roots or branches, the affected part should 
be treated with kerosene emulsion. If the ragged 
cases of the Leaf Crumpler are attached to the twigs 
they should be removed and burned. 

As soon in spring as the blossoms have entirely 
fallen, the trees should be sprayed with Paris green 
and water — 3 ounces to 50 gallons. The application 
had generally better be repeated ten days or two 
weeks later. This will check both the fruit and leaf- 
eating insects. 



INJUKING THE FRUIT. 57 

Early in summer the trunks and larger branches 
should be washed with a strong solution of soap and 
carbolic acid, and the application should be repeated 
three or four weeks later. This is to prevent attacks 
of borers. Late in summer or early in fall the trees 
may be examined for eggs or young borers, which 
when found should be cut out or crushed with a 
knife. 

It is well also to pick up and feed to stock all 
windfalls in the orchard. This may be done by 
turning hogs or cattle into the field occasionally. 
Such methods should especially be employed in re- 
gions where the Apple Maggot is at work, for this is 
the only known plan of keeping this pest in check. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE PLUM, 

INJURING THE TRUNK. 

The Plum-tree Borer. 

Aegeria pidipes. 

This insect is seldom abundant enough to do seri- 
ous injury. The adult is a beautiful, clear-winged 
moth, closely related to the Peach-tree Borer, to 
which it is similar in life-history and habits. It is 
represented, considerably magnified, at Plate II, 
Fig. 7. 

The larva of this insect works mainly in the trunk 
and branches of the plum, gnawing the inner bark 
and sapwood. It also affects the wild black and wild 
red cherry, and is likely occasionally* to be found in 
the cultivated cherry. 

Remedies. — The remedy usually recommended 
for this pest is that of cutting out the larvse with a 
sharp knife, according to the plan commonly adopt- 
ed for the Peach-tree Borer. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Plum-tree Aphis. 

Aphis prunifolii. 
The leaves of plum trees are frequently crowded 
in spring by small, dark-colored, soft-bodied insects- 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 59 

that suck out the sap, and give the terminal portion 

of the twigs a malformed appearance. These are 

V £ aphides or plant-lice. Two or 

l^V ]fw three species are known to 

^^#0^^ infest the plum, one of which 

Jf^^^ has been shown bv Dr. C. V. 

£T^ &* ^^ Riley to migrate during sum- 

}^\ mer to the hop-plant. The 

, \ life-histories of the others are 

€P \ not very well known. In a 

Fig. 25. Aphis. Magnified, general way they are similar 

to the Apple Aphis, described on a previous page. 

Remedies. — Spraying with kerosene emulsion is 
the most effective remedy for this insect. The ap- 
plication should be made with a force pump and 
spray nozzle ; and as soon after the insects are no- 
ticed as possible. 

Plum Leaf Caterpillars. 

There are several kinds of caterpillars that occa- 
sionally attack the plum, but they rarely occur in 
sufficient numbers to do serious injury. Of these we 
may mention the Plum Catocala (Catocala ultronea), 
the Polyphemus Moth ( Telea polyplieynus), the Horned 
Span-worm (Nematocampa filamentaria), the Plum 
Sphinx (Sphinx drupiferarum), the Gray Dagger-moth 
(Apatela occidentalis), and the Disippus Butterfly 
(Limenitis disippus). These insects are all open to 
destruction by spraying with the arsenites, and are 
not likely to become injurious in orchards regularly 
sprayed for the Plum Curculio. 
4 



60 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE PLUM. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 



The Plum Curculio. 

Conotrachelus nenuphar. 
This insect, the worst foe of the -plum grower, is 
the cause of the" worminess " and premature drop- 
ping of the fruit that so many orchardists are famil- 
iar with. Besides plums, it breeds in peaches, nec- 
tarines, apricots, cherries, pears and apples. 

The adult insect (Fig. 26, c) appears in spring 
about the time of blossoming, and feeds upon the 

foliage and flowers until 
the fruit is well ' set.' It 
then attacks the young 
plums, gnawing at them 
to satisfy its hunger, and 
cutting crescent shaped 
marks in the skin to de- 
posit its eggs ((f). In a 
short time these eggs 
hatch into little grubs 
that feed upon the pulp 
of the fruit, gradually working toward the pit. In a 
few weeks they become full grown (appearing when 
magnified like a, Fig. 26), by which time the infested 
plums have generally fallen to the ground. The 
larva? then leave the fruit, and entering the soil a 
short distance change to pupse (b). A few weeks 
later they again change, and come forth as perfect 




Fig. 26. Plum Curculio ; a, larva ; 
6, pupa ; c, beetle— magnified ; d, 
plum snowing crescent mark. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 61 

beetles. But some of them enter the ground so late 
that they hibernate as pupae, emerging the following 
summer. There is but one brood each season. A 
single female is able to deposit 150 to 200 eggs, ten 
frequently being laid in a single day. 

Certain parasites prey upon this insect, but are 
seldom sufficiently numerous to prevent its injuries. 

Remedies.- 1 — Entomologists have been divided in 
opinion as to whether this insect can be successfully 
destined by spraying with Paris green, but the evi- 
dence in hand indicates that this is the best way to 
fight the pest, especially in orchards of considerable 
size. This remedy acts by destroying the- adult bee- 
tles rather than the larvae. The trees should be 
sprayed three or four times, at intervals of a week or 
ten days, beginning as soon as the blossoms have 
fallen, with Paris green mixed with water in the 
proportion of 3 ounces to 40 or 50 gallons. The 
other method of fighting this insect is that of "jar- 
ring." This takes advantage of the fact that when 
a limb on which the Curculio is at work is suddenly 
jarred, the insect drops to the ground. A large sheet 
is placed beneath the tree, and the latter is jarred by 
striking the trunk and larger branches with a pad- 
ded mallet. The Curculios fall upon the sheet, and 
are then collected and destroyed. Instead of a sheet, 
most commercial growers use a sort of inverted um- 
brella mounted on wheels, which is run beneath the 
tree. It has sloping sides down which the insects 
roll into a receptacle in the center, where they are 



62 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PLUM. 

caught. There are many patterns of these catchers 
in use in different sections of the country. The in- 
sects are most easily caught in the morning, when 
the atmosphere is cool. 

The Plum Gouger. 

Coccotorus prunicida. 
The Plum Gouger is most injurious in the region 
west of the Mississippi river, being rarely or never 
found in the Eastern States. But in Iowa, and 
probably, also, in adjacent states, it frequently is 
more destructive than the Plum Curculio, from 
which it differs considerably in history and habits. 
The adult Gouger is a small snout beetle, about the 
same size as the Curculio, but with a smooth back, 
and of a yellowish or brownish color. It appears 
about blossoming time, and soon after the fruit sets 
begins operations upon it. Instead of cutting a 
crescent-shaped mark to lay its egg, it gnaws out a 
little cavity beneath the skin in which the egg is de- 
posited. A few days later the larva hatches, and 
burrows through the pulp to the pit, gnawing 
through the soft shell to the ' meaty ' portion inside. 
Here it continues to develop, feeding upon the con- 
tents of the pit, rather than the pulp surrounding it. 
After several weeks it becomes full grown : it then 
gnaws a hole through the hardening wall of the pit,, 
so it can escape after completing its transformations,, 
and changes to the pupa state inside. A short time 
afterwards it again changes, this time to the adult,. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 63 

and the beetle gnaws its way to the outer world, 
hibernating in this condition. It is single-brooded. 
Like the Plum Curculio, the adult Plum Gouger 
.gnaws pits in the fruit for food. It also has various 
natural enemies that help keep it in check. 

Remedies. — One would suppose from the feeding 
habits of the Plum Gouger that the adults were 
liable to destruction by spraying with the arsenites, 
but experiments made in Iowa by Prof. 0. P. Gillette 
do not confirm this opinion. However, the matter 
seems not to have been thoroughly tested on a large, 
•commercial scale. If spraying is ineffective, recourse 
must be had to the jarring method. 

Other Plum Insects. 

The base of the trunk of the plum tree is occa- 
sionally attacked by the Peach-tree Borer ; and the 
upper portion of the trunk is sometimes infested with 
the Flat-headed Apple-tree Borer. The leaves are 
attacked by a large proportion of the caterpillars that 
feed on the foliage of the apple, as well as the Pear 
or Cherry Slug, the Grape-vine Flea-beetle, and a 
number of other insects. But spraying is a safe spe- 
cific for nearly or quite all of these defoliators. 

Summary of Treatment.— As soon as the blos- 
soms have all fallen, and never before, spray trees 
with Paris green and water ( 3 ozs. to 50 gals.), and 
repeat the operation two or three times at intervals 
of ten days or two weeks. This will largely or en- 
tirely prevent the injuries of the fruit and foliage 



64 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PLUM. 

4 

pests. The leaves of many varieties of plums are 
easily injured by the arsenites, so that much care 
should be taken in spraying, not to use too strong a 
mixture, nor to get too much on the tree. Paris 
green is preferable to London purple for this pur- 
pose, when tender classes of fruits are to be operated 
upon. In using Paris green the mixture must be 
frequently stirred to make sure that the poison does 
not settle to the bottom of the vessel and thus ren- 
der the applications of unequal strengths. It is 
well after each barrel of liquid is used to draw off 
all the residue in the bottom. 

If the aphides or plant-lice become too numerous 
in spring, spray with kerosene emulsion. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEAR. 

INJURING THE TRUNK. 

The Pear-tree Borer. 

Aegeria pyri. 

The adult of this insect is represented twice its 
natural size at Plate II, Fig. 3. It is a small, clear- 
winged moth, purplish or bluish-black in color, and 
having three pretty golden-yellow bands across the 
abdomen. Its eggs are deposited upon the bark of 
the trunk, and the larvae feed upon the inner bark 
or sapwood. The latter are very similar to the grubs 
of the Peach-tree Borer, but are considerably smaller. 
When full grown they gnaw almost through the 
outer bark, leaving an extremely thin layer to protect 
them, and then change to the chrysalis state within 
the burrow. A short time afterwards the chrysalis 
wriggles through the burrow to the outer membra- 
nous bark, through which it pushes its front end. 
The fully developed moth then crawls out of the 
chrysalis, and, after drying its wings, flies away in 
search of companions and the nectar of flowers upon 
which it feeds. 

Remedies. — This insect is rarely present in injuri- 
ous numbers, and consequently usually requires little 
or no attention. The larvae are said to throw out fine, 
sawdust-like castings, by which their presence may 



66 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEAK. 

be detected. When this happens they should be care- 
fully cut out with a sharp knife. Painting the bark 
with the soft soap and carbolic acid mixture men- 
tioned on page 20 is also recommended. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 

The Scurfy Bark- louse. 

Chionaspis furfur us. 
During the winter months the bark of pear and 
apple trees is frequently more or less covered by 
small, flattened, whitish, oval scales (Fig. 27), beneath 
which are numerous minute purple eggs. These are 
the scales of the female Scurfy Bark-louse, an insect 
that seems to be more destructive in the Southern 
and Central States than at the North. It is probably. 




Fig. 27. Twig infested by Scurfy Bark -louse. 

a native of America, having been known to the ear- 
liest American entomologists, and is supposed to 
have fed on wild crab apples before the introduction 
of improved fruit trees. The scales of the male louse 
are much narrower than those of the female. 

During May or June the eggs beneath these scales 
hatch into small, purplish or reddish-brown lice, that 
crawl about over the bark for a few days, and finally 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



67 



Insert their tiny beaks to suck the sap. Having thus 
fixed themselves they gradually de- 
velop, until by fall the females have 
attained the shape represented at the 
left of Fig. 28, and the size shown 
at the right of the same figure. The 
eggs are deposited beneath the scale, 
and remain in this position until the 
following spring. 

Remedies. — The treatment recommended on a 
previous page (p. 34) for the Oyster-shell Bark-louse, 
is equally applicable to the present species. 




Fig. 28. Scale of Fe- 
male. Magnified. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



The Pear-tree Slug. 

Selandria cerasi. 
The leaves of pear, cherry, quince and plum trees 
are frequently attacked during June and July by a 
greenish-black, slimy slug, that eats the parenchyma 
off the upper surface. This is the Pear or Cherry 
Slug. It originates from eggs laid early in June, in 
the leaf, by a four- winged black fly ( shown slightly 
magnified at Fig. 29). The eggs hatch about two 
weeks after they are deposited, and the larvre become 
full grown in four or five weeks. They are then 
nearly half an inch long, and of the form repre- 
sented at Fig. 29. They now shed their slimy skin, 
appearing in a clean, }^ellow suit that is not sticky, 



68 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEAR. 

and shortly afterwards leave the tree. Having 
reached the ground they enter the soil two or three 
inches, and form an oval cavity in the earth, which 




Fig. 29. Pear-tree Slug: fly and larvas. 

they line with a glossy secretion. The larval skin 
is now cast, and the insect becomes a pupa. About 
a fortnight later it again changes, this time to a 
four-winged fry, that escapes to continue the propa- 
gation of the species. There are two broods each 
season in the Northern States, the first brood of 
larva? appearing in June, and the second in August. 
The winter is passed in the pupa state. 

Remedies. — This Pear Slug is very easy to de- 
stroy, and should be checked as soon after it begins 
operations as possible. Spraying with the arsenites,. 
or pyrethrum, or hellebore, is a simple and effectual 
remedy. Or these substances may be dusted on with 
a bellows gun. 

The Pear-leaf Mite. 

Phytoptus pyri. 

The leaves of the pear are sometimes noticed in 

spring to have small reddish spots upon their upper 

surface. As the season advances these spots become 

darker colored, and finally appear almost black, the 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



69 



tissues of the leaf where they are being dry and 
dead. This is caused by the Pear-leaf Mite, an 
extremely minute creature, related to the Red Spider 
found in greenhouses. 

It reproduces by means of eggs laid within the 
galls — the discolored spots already mentioned — 
which hatch into little mites that sometime after- 
wards leave their birth place, and burrow into the 
tissue of a healthy portion of the leaf. Here they 




Fig. 30. Leaf injured by Pear Mite. 

feed upon the leaf-substance, forming a new gall, and 
starting another generation of their kind. As autumn 
approaches and the leaves become dry, the mites de- 
sert them, migrating to the twigs, where they gather 
on the buds, and penetrate between the leafy scales, a 
situation in which they pass the winter. 

Remedies. — This pest is difficult to fight. So 
long as it remains in the tissues of the leaves it is 



70 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEAR. 

beyond the reach of insecticides, and as it deserts 
the leaves before they fall, gathering and burning 
them in autumn will do little or no good. It seems 
probable, however, that by spraying with kerosene 
emulsion two or three times in autumn, when they 
are migrating to the twigs, and before they have 
penetrated deeply between the scales, a large propor- 
tion of them would be destroyed. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Codling Moth and Plum Curculio. 

These pests are the worst insect enemies of the fruit 
•of the pear. To the first is due the " worminess " 
that spoils so large a portion of the crop, and to the 
second a large part of the gnarly, knotty fruit that is 
so often seen. Spraying with Paris green is fortu- 
nately an effectual preventive of the injuries of both. 

Other Pear Insects. 

The trunk of the pear tree is subject to attack from 
both the Round-headed and Flat-headed Apple-tree 
Borers. The remedies mentioned as applicable to 
the apple are equally so to the pear. The branches 
are sometimes infested by the Oyster-shell Bark-louse, 
the Pear-tree Bark -louse (Lecanium pyri), and the 
Pear-tree Psylla (Psylla pyri), as well as the Pear- 
blight Beetle (Xyleborus pyri). The leaves are also 
liable to attack from a great variety of caterpillars, 
which, however, are seldom seriously injurious. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 71 

Summary of Treatment. — Soon after the blos- 
soms have fallen, spray the trees with Paris green in 
water mixture — 3 ounces to 50 gallons — to destroy 
the Codling Moth and Curculios. Repeat the appli- 
cation ten days or two weeks later. If the Pear-tree 
Slug appears in the latter part of June, spray again 
then. In the case of danger from the bark-lice or 
apple-tree borers, carry out treatment recommended 
under the special heads. 

Some authors recommend that in case the Pear- 
leaf Mite becomes injurious the trees be thoroughly 
pruned in winter, removing and burning as many 
of the buds in which the mites are concealed as pos- 
sible without injuring the trees. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CHERRY. 

INJURING THE TRUNK. 

The Flat-headed Cherry-tree Borer. 

Dicerca divaricata. 

This insect is closely related to the Flat-headed 
Apple-tree Borer, to which it is similar in life-history 
and habits. The adult, a handsome, brassy or cop- 
per-colored beetle, about four-fifths of an inch long, 
deposits eggs during the summer on the trunk of the 
wild and cultivated cherry. These eggs hatch into 
larvae that bore through the bark to the sap wood, 
upon which they live. They gradually grow larger 
until, when full grown, [they resemble Fig. 10 a. 
They then pupate, and shortly afterwards again 
change to the beetle state. 

Remedies. — Fortunately this borer is rarely seri- 
ously injurious. Should it become so, the treatment 
recommended for the Flat-headed Apple-tree Borer 
would be also applicable in this case. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Cherry Aphis. 

Myzus cerasi. 
The twigs and under surface of the leaves of the 
cherry are frequently thickly infested during May 



INJURING THE TRUNK. 



73 



and June by Finall, shining black plant-lice, that 
suck out the sap and deform the leaves. This insect 
is the Cherry Aphis. The wingless form is repre- 
sented much magnified at a, Fig. 31, and the winged 




a b 

Fig. 31. Cherry Aphis : a, wingless female; b, winged female. Magnified. 

form at b of the same figure, the straight lines at the 
right indicating the natural size. 

The Cherry Aphis winters over on the twigs in the 
egg state. Early in spring the eggs hatch into young- 
aphides that crawl upon the bursting buds, inserting 
their tiny sap-sucking beaks into the tissues of the 
unfolding leaves. In a week or ten days they become 
full grown, and begin giving birth to young lice, 
which also soon develop, and repeat the process. In 
this way they increase with marvellous rapidity. 
Most of these early spring forms are wingless, but 
during June great numbers of winged lice appear, 
and late in June or early in July they leave the 
cherry, migrating to some other plant, although we 
do not yet know what that other plant is. Here they 



74 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CHERRY. 



continue developing throughout the summer, and in 
autumn a winged brood again appears and migrates 
back to the cherry. These migrants give birth to 
young that develop into egg-laying females, which 
deposit small, oval, shining black eggs upon the twigs 
about the buds. 

Remedies. — Lady-beetles and certain predaceous 
and parasitic flies prey upon these little pests in great 
numbers, and often aid materially in checking their 
injuries. The best artificial remedy is that of spray- 
ing with kerosene emulsion. 

The May Beetle. 

Lachnosterna fusca. 
The leaves of cherry and other fruit trees are 
sometimes eaten early in summer by the common 
May Beetle or June Bug (Fig. 32). This insect is 

the parent of 
the mischievous 
White Grub, 
that is so fre- 
q u e n 1 1 y de- 
structive in 
meadows and 
pastures. The 
beetles feed up- 
on the foliage at night, and sometimes appear in suffi- 
cient numbers to do much damage before their pres- 
ence is discovered. 




Fig. 32. May Beetle. 



INJURING THE TRUNK. 75" 

Remedies. — Spraying the infested trees with the 
arsenites, Paris green or London Purple, is the most 
promising method of preventing their injuries. 

The Cherry-tree Leaf-roller. 

Cacoecia cerasivorana. 

One occasionally finds the leaves of a cherry twig 
fastened together in a large, compact nest, inhabited 
by numerous yellow caterpillars, that feed upon the 
enclosed leaves. This is the Cherry-tree Leaf-roller. 
The adult is a small brown moth which deposits a* 
large number of eggs upon the twig. The caterpil- 
lars on hatching fasten the leaves together and de- 
velop within the tent thus formed. They become 
full grown about midsummer, and pupate within the 
nest. In a week or so they are ready to change 
again, and the pupee work their way out until they 
are nearly free from the nest, remaining attached by 
the hinder portions of their bodies. The skin then 
splits along the back and the moths come out. 

Remedies. — These nests are so conspicuous that 
it is a simple matter to cut and burn the infested 
twigs, thus ending the career of the pests. 

The Pear-tree Slug. 

Selandria cerasi. 
This insect is probably as destructive to the cherry 
as to the pear, under which we have already dis- 
cussed it. Its life-history on the two fruits is similar,, 
and the remedies are the same in both cases. 
5 



'.76 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CHERRY. 

INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Plum Curculio. 

Conotrachelus nenuphar. 
This insect, which has already been discussed un- 
der the plum (p. 60), is also exceedingly injurious to 
•cherries. The latter, however, usually do not fall off 
when infested by the Curculio larvse, but remain on 
the tree until the fruit ripens. The remedial meas- 
ures suggested in connection with the plum are 
equally applicable to this fruit. 

Other Cherry Insects. 

There are a large number of caterpillars that feed 
upon the leaves of cherries, but they rarely do no- 
ticeable injury, and spraying with the arsenites will 
keep nearly if not quite all of them in check. 

Summary of Treatment. — Spray the trees as 
■soon as blossoms have fallen, with Paris green — 3 
ounces to 50 gallons water. Repeat the operation 
once or twice at intervals of ten days. If the Leaf 
Slug appears about the time the fruit is beginning to 
ripen, spray with pyrethrum, 8 ounces to 50 gallons. 
If aphides or plant-lice appear, spray with kerosene 
emulsion. The second brood of Slugs, developing 
after the fruit is harvested, may be destroyed by 
spraying with Paris green or London purple. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEACH. 

INJURING THE ROOT. 

The Peach-tree Borer. 

Sannina exitiosa. 
The Peach-tree Borer is a soft, whitish caterpillar, 
with a reddish-brown head, and sixteen legs. It 
hatches from eggs laid during the summer months 
by a handsome, day -flying moth, upon the bark of 
the trunk, at or near the soil surface. After hatching, 
the young larvae burrow through to the inner bark 
and sapwood of the larger roots, upon which they 
feed, causing a gummy exudation that betrays their 
presence. They continue feeding in this way for 
nearly a year, being interrupted of course during the 
winter months, when they become full grown as larvae. 
They then usually approach the top of the ground 
within an inch or two of the soil surface, and con- 
struct cocoons of the gummy exudation, their castings 
and silk. Within these cocoons they change to the 
pupa state, and three or four weeks later again 
change to moths. The two sexes of the moths are 
represented twice natural size at Plate II — Fig. 1 
representing the male, and Fig. 2 the female. These 
moths are present more or less all summer : although 
there is but one generation a year, the larvae reach 
maturity at such different times that they keep up a 



78 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEACH. 

nearly constant supply of the imagos. On this 
account one can find larvse of various sizes in the 
roots at almost any time. This insect also occasion- 
ally infests the plum. 

Remedies. — Probably the surest, and certainly 
the most generally practiced, method of preventing 
the injuries of this insect is that of cutting out the 
larvse in the fall or spring, or both. To do this the 
earth is removed from about the base of the tree, 
and wherever the gummy exudation indicates that a 
borer is at work, a sharp knife is inserted to dig him 
out. It is often necessary to open the larval chan- 
nels for some distance before the depredator is found. 
Instead of digging the larvae out some growers de- 
stroy them by applying scalding hot water. With 
this method the earth is removed as before, and the 
gummy exudations scraped away before the water is 
applied. 

Some growers prevent the deposition of eggs by 
mounding the soil up about the base of the trunk, a 
foot or more, late in spring, removing it in September. 
The chief objection to this method appears to be that 
it is liable to make the bark too tender to stand the 
winter. Others protect the base of the trunk by 
fastening paper or straw around it, so as to cover the 
bark. A preventive measure that has sometimes 
been recommended, which seems worthy of extended 
trial by commercial growers, is that of spraying the 
base of the trunks with a strong mixture of Paris 
green and water (say a pound to 50 gallons) to which 



INJURING THE ROOTS. 79 

has been added some glue. The idea is that in this 
way the bark will be so coated with poison that many 
of the young larvse will be destroyed while eating 
their way through to the sapwood. 

The Black Peach Aphis. 

Aphis persicee-niger. 
This is a shining black aphis, that occurs in great 
numbers upon the roots, twigs and leaves of the 
peach in the Atlantic States. The root-infesting 
specimens seem to be especially injurious, causing an 
enfeebled condition of the tree that has sometimes 
been mistaken for the disease known as ' the yellows.' 
These insects reproduce viviparously, or by giving 
birth to living young, and, consequently, like other 
aphides, they are able to multiply with remarkable 
rapidity. There are two forms, one wingless and the 
other winged, both having shining black bodies ; 
and sucking out the sap of the tree through their 
tiny beaks. 

Remedies. — The best results seem to have been 
attained in fighting the under-ground form of this 
insect by digging into the soil about the roots refuse 
tobacco, either in the form of powder or stems. 
Kainit is also said by New Jersey peach-growers to 
serve a similar purpose. The aerial specimens are 
open to destruction hj spra} r ing with kerosene 
emulsion. 



80 INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEACH. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Peach Aphis. 

Myzus persicse. 
This insect is much like the one last discussed, 
with which, in fact, it has frequently been confused, 
but it appears to be distributed over a much wider 
area, being found in nearly all portions of the 
United States where peaches are grown. Like other 
aphides, it damages the tree by sucking out the sap, 
through the leaves or tender twigs. It is a soft, 
blackish little creature that, during the spring and 
summer months, reproduces by giving birth to living 
young, and winters over in tiny, black eggs, laid in 
September or October, upon the twigs about the buds. 

Remedies. — Spraying with kerosene emulsion is 
the best method of destroying these little pests. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Plum Curculio. 

Conotrachelus nenuphar. 
This insect, whose life-history has already been 
treated of on page 6.0, breeds in peaches, as well as 
in plums, cherries, apples and other fruits. It is es- 
pecially liable to injure peaches when there is a fail- 
ure of the apple crop. It is more difficult to prevent 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 81 

its injuries on this crop than on the apple or plum r 
because ordinarily it is impracticable to jar peach 
trees, and their foliage is so easily injured by the 
arsenites that spraying must be done with great cau- 
tion, if at all. London purple should never be ap- 
plied to the leaves of peach trees, and Paris green 
only in very weak mixtures and early in the season, 
when the waxy covering of the leaves serves as a 
protection. Experiments by Professor L. H. Bailey 
of Cornell University, indicate that Paris green may 
safely be applied to the peach mixed with water at 
the rate of two ounces to fifty gallons. One or two 
sprayings, soon after the fruit sets, will probably help 
greatly in preventing curculio injury. 

Other Peach Insects. 

The trunk of the peach is sometimes infested 
by the Flat-headed Borers of the Apple and Cherry, 
though not often. The branches are- subject to 
the attacks of the Peach-tree Bark -louse (Lecanium 
persicse) and the New York Weevil (Ithycerus novebo- 
racensis) ; while the leaves are more or less affected 
by a great variety of caterpillars, which; however, 
rarely do any serious injury. 

Summary of Treatment. — In the Atlantic 
States, dig refuse tobacco about the roots of any trees 
that appear to be suffering by attacks of the Root 
Aphis. Adopt some of the plans mentioned on page 
78 for fighting the Peach-tree Borer, and carry them 



■82 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE PEACH. 



out. If the trees are to be sprayed to prevent the 
' worminess ' caused by Curculios, it must be done 
very carefully, and only early in the season. A 
good quality of finely powdered Paris green should 
be used, and the application should be made with a 
nozzle throwing a fine spray, as experiments have 
shown that a coarse spray is much more liable to 
injure the foliage than a fine one. 




PART II. 

INSECTS 
AFFECTING SMALL FRUITS. 





2. 




6. 7. 

PLATE III— A Group of Leaf-hoppers, (magnified.) 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBERRY. 

INJURING THE ROOT. 

The Strawberry Root- worms. 

.Paria aterrima, Ch^aphops pubescens, and Scelodonta 
nebulosus. 

In the larval stage the three species of beetles 
named above feed upon the fibrous roots of the 
strawberry, often doing a great deal of damage. 
They are quite similar in life history and habits, all 
depositing eggs about the base of the plant, that 
hatch into small, whitish grubs. The grubs feed 
upon, the strawberry roots, increasing gradually in 
size. When fully grown they are of the form repre- 
sented, very greatly magnified, at Fig. 33. They 
then pupate 
in earthen 
cells in the 
soil, and soon 
after emerge 
as beetles^ 
one species of 
which is 

Shown much Fig. 33. Strawberry Root-worm. Greatly magnified. 

magnified at Fig. 34. The beetles feed upon the 
foliage of the strawberry, often doing a noticeable 
damage. The injury of these insects in the larval 




INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBERRY. 



state is frequently mistaken for that of the Straw- 
berry Crown-borer — an entirely different species. 

Remedies. — These little insects are difficult to 
deal with on account of the underground habits of 
the larvae, and the different times of development of 




Fig. -34. Adult of Strawberry Root-worm. Greatly 
magnified. 

the adults. Professor Forbes recommends spraying 
or dusting the foliage with Paris green or London 
purple occasionally, ' after the fruit is harvested, to 
destroy the leaf-eating beetles. Badly-infested fields 
should be plowed up soon after the crop is gathered. 
Old, unused strawberry fields should not be left as 
breeding grounds for these and other strawberry pests. 




INJURING THE ROOT. 87 



The Strawberry Crown-miner. 

Anarsia lineatella {?) 
This is a small, reddish caterpillar (Fig. 35) that 
bores the strawberry crown, making irregular chan- 
nels through it in all directions. 
It becomes fully grown early in 
summer, and changes to the chry- 
salis state, to emerge two or three 
weeks later as a small, dark-gray 
moth. Eggs are deposited by this 
moth upon the crown of the plant, 
and soon hatch into minute larvae Fig^s. The strawberry 
that bore the crown again, becom- 
ing partially grown before winter, and hibernating 
within their burrows. This is the life history of the 
species in Canada ; probably farther south there may 
be two broods a year. 

Remedies. — No successful remedy for this insect 
is known. Badly infested fields would probably 
have to be plowed up, and this should be done 
preferably in the fall or early spring. 

The Strawberry Crown-borer. 

Tylo derma frag arise. 
This insect has been known for many years as one 
of the most destructive enemies of the strawberry in 
the great small-fruit fields of the Mississippi Valley.. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBEKRY. 



The larva (Fig. 36, a) is a whitish, footless, yellow- 
headed grub, about one-fifth of an inch long, that 
lives in the crowns of strawberry plants, frequently 
hollowing them out so much that the vines are 
weakened or destroyed. The adult insect is a small, 

dark-colo red, 
snout-beetle, 
about a fifth of an 





Fig. 36. Strawberry Crown-borer : a, larva ; 
b, beetle, side-view ; c, beetle, back view. 



inch long, and of 
the form repre- 
sented at Fig. 36, 
b, c. It is unable 
to fly, because of 
the rudimentary condition of its membranous wings. 
According to Professor Forbes " the eggs are laid on 
the crown in spring, being pushed down among the 
bases of the leaves. The larva? penetrate the crowns 
soon after hatching, and excavate the interior all 
summer, until they get their growth. A single larva 
does not wholly destroy a plant, as it matures about 
the time a quarter or a third of the substance of the 
crown is devoured. Frequently two or three or 
more beetles will attack a single stool, and they then 
leave behind them only a hollow shell to which the 
roots are attached. Still in its subterranean cavity 
the worm transforms to a pupa, and in the same safe 
retreat effects also the final change to the mature 
beetle, this last transformation occurring all the way 
.along from August to October, during a period of 
about two mouths. The beetles all escape from the 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 8$ 

crowns in autumn, but are not known to lay any 
eggs until the following year. They pass the winter 
as adults in the fields infested by them as larvae. It 
feeds while a mature insect upon the tissues of the 
plant." 

Remedies. — This insect is especially liable to in- 
jure old strawberry fields, or those which are re- 
planted to this fruit without some other crop inter- 
vening. On account of the inability of the beetle to 
fly, it is not likely to pass from one plantation to 
another to deposit eggs, and the isolation of new 
plantations from old ones is consequently to be de- 
sired. If the plants for the new field must be taken 
from an infested patch, they should be dug up as 
early as possible to guard against transporting eggs 
or larvae with them. It is probable that spraying 
the fields with the arsenites late in summer will lead 
to the poisoning of many of the beetles, and that 
burning the fields, after picking, will prove benefi- 
cial. In case infested patches are to be plowed 
under, this should be done late in June or early in 
July, to destroy the half-grown larvae then present, 
in the crowns. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Strawberry Leaf-roller. 

Phoxopteris comptana. 
This is a small, brownish caterpillar that folds the 
leaflets of the strawberry by bringing the upper 



'90 INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBERRY. 

surfaces together and fastening them by silken cords 
'(Fig. 37), and feeds upon their substance till they 




Fig. 37. Strawberry leaf folded by Leaf-roller. 

look brown and scorched. It is sometimes exceed- 
ingly destructive, and has been considered by some 
entomologists the most injurious of the insect enemies 
>of the strawberry. It probably occurs in nearly all 
-the Northern states ; and, is also found in Europe, 
where, however, it is does not prove troublesome. 
It hatches from eggs laid in spring upon the straw- 
berry plants by a small, reddish-brown moth, which 
is accurately represented slightly magnified at Fig. 
.38, c. The larva attains its full growth in June, 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 91 

when it is nearly half an inch long, of a brownish 
or greenish col- 
or, with a shin- 
ing, }^ellowish- 
brown head. It 
i s represented 

natural size at Fig. 88. Strawberry Leaf-roller: a, larva, natural 
„. , size; 6, front of larva ; c, moth ; rf, hind end 

rig. oo, a~, the of larva; 6, c, and d magnified. 

head and anterior segments of the body are shown 
at b, and the posterior extremity at cl of the same 
figure. The larva pupates within the rolled leaf, 
and about midsummer emerges as a moth. These 
'moths deposit eggs for a second brood of caterpillars 
that feed upon the leaves late in summer, changing 
to pupae early in autumn, and, passing the winter in 
that condition, emerge again as moths the following 
.spring, thus completing the cycle of the year. In 
the Southern States there are three, and possibly 
four, broods a year. 

Remedies. — The best way to destroy this pest is 
to mow the field soon after the strawberry crop is 
gathered, and after leaving it a day or two to become 
dry, burn it over. This will destroy the leaf-rollers 
as well as several other kinds of insects, and the 
spores of fungous diseases. It is sometimes necessary 
to scatter a little straw over the field where the leaves 
are not thick enough to burn well. The plants will 
not be damaged, but will soon send up a new lot of 
leaves that will grow rapidly, and be free from insect 
-and fungous attack. If for any reason this method 



92 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBERRY. 



is not desirable, the insects of the second brood may- 
be destroyed by spraying or dusting the plants in 
August with some poisonous insecticide. 

The Strawberry Slug. 

Emphytus maculatus. 
The transformations of this insect have been well' 
represented by Dr. Riley at Fig. 39. The four-winged 
fly (3) appears in spring, and deposits its eggs within, 
the tissues of the leaf or stem. The larvse hatch in. 
a short time, and feed upon the leaf, gnawing small, 
circular holes at first, like those eaten out of currant , 




Fig. 39. Strawberry Slug: 1, 2, pupa; 3, 5, fly; 4, 6, 
larva; 7, cocoon; 9, egg, magnified. 

and gooseberry leaves by young Currant Worms.. 
They develop in five or six weeks into pale-green 
worms (4, 6) about three-fourths of an inch long. 
The larvse now go slightly beneath the surface, where 
they form cocoons (7) within which they change' ;to 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 93 

the pupa state (1, 2), and later emerge as flies. 
In the Southern States there are two broods each sea- 
son, while at the North there appears to be but one. 

Remedies. — The Strawberry Slug is especially 
liable to injure young, non-fruiting plantations, 
where it may easily be destroyed by spraying or 
dusting with Paris green. On fruiting plantations 
this method may be used in localities where a second 
brood of larvee appears after the fruit is gathered. 
Pyrethrum or insect powder may be used in such 
cases on the first brood. It is probable that burn- 
ing the fields over early in summer after the crop 
js gathered will help to hold this insect in check. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Tarnished Plant Bug. 

Lygus praiensis. 
This is a small, yellowish-brown or yellowish-green 
bug, more or less mottled with dusky, about one-fifth 
of an inch long (Fig. 40), which is extremely com- 
mon in nearly all parts of the United States. It 
attacks a great variety of plants, subsist- 
ing upon the sap, and is especially de- 
structive in the strawberry field on ac- 
count of its injuries to the young fruit, ' P&$&M\ J 
the growth of which it checks, causing ^ \%$w 

an irregular, malformed appearance Fig. jo. Tamish- 

, i •',*-!■ ed plant Bug- 

known as ' buttoning. According to Magnified. 




94 INSECTS AFFECTING THE STRAWBERRY. 

Professor Forbes, " the adults pass the winter under 
rubbish and matted vegetation in a variety of 
situations. With the earliest warm da}^s of spring 
they venture forth and collect upon whatever tender 
vegetation of tree or shrub offers them a supply of 
sap within the reach of their rather slender beaks. 
On their food plants they lay their eggs. The young- 
soon appear, mingled with the adults as early as the 
latter part of April and the first of May (in Southern 
Illinois) and feed with them side by side. By the 
.middle of May the older individuals have matured, 
and then all stages may be found together upon the 
same plants ; but the winged forms scatter widely, 
and in June and July are generally distributed 
wherever suitable food occurs." There are two, and 
perhaps more, broods each season. In autumn the 
adults are to be found abundantly upon goldenrods, 
sunflowers, asters and various other fall flowers. 

Remedies. — As these bugs obtain their food by 
sucking, the} 7 cannot be destroyed by coating their 
food plants with poisons. The application of pyre- 
thrum (insect powder) has proven the most success- 
ful remedy. By means of a powder gun it can be 
applied quite readily. Kerosene emulsion also de- 
stroys them ; and it is claimed that the bugs can 
frequently be collected in insect nets with profit. 

Other Strawberry Insects. 

The strawberry is subject to attack by a large 
number of insects besides those discussed above. 



SUMMARY OF TREATMENT. 95 

The roots are often eaten, especially when new plan- 
tations are made . on land previously in grass, by- 
white grubs ; and the stems are sometimes severed 
by various species of cut-worms, or pierced by the 
beak of the Strawberry Weevil (Anthonomus mv.scu- 
lus). The blossom is occasionally attacked by a small 
Thrips {Thrips tritici) that prevents the fertilization 
of the fruit, and by certain caterpillars that devour 
it, As to the enemies of the foliage, their name is 
legion: span-worms, leaf-rollers, Army Worms, 
plant-lice, etc., all help to swell the list, And the 
fruit is not neglected : it caters to the dainty appetite 
of various ants, myriapods, bugs and beetles. But 
the pests that are most generally and commonly in- 
jurious have been included in the previous pages. 

Summary of Treatment. — Strawberry planta- 
tions should be rotated with other crops every three, 
or in some cases possibly four, years, and old planta- 
tions should never be left unplowed to serve as 
breeding places for insect pests. It is generally advis- 
able to mow and burn over the field soon aftjr the 
crop is gathered, a method by which many insect 
and fungus foes may be held in check. Other treat- 
ment must be regulated according to the insects pres- 
ent, and the circumstances accompanying the attack. 



' INSECTS AFFECTING CURRANTS AND 
GOOSEBERRIES. 

INJURING THE STEM. 

The Imported Currant-borer. 

Aegeria ivpuliformis. 

This insect is a small, whitish larva that burrows 
up and down the stems of currants, weakening them 
so that they are checked in growth, and appear 
stunted and unhealthy. It hatches from eggs de- 
posited singly, on the young stems near the buds, 
early in summer, by a beautiful, clear-winged, wasp- 
like moth, represented twice natural size at Plate II, 
Fig. 4 (p. 28). This moth has a bluish-black body, 
with three golden-yellow transverse bands across the 
abdomen. It measures from tip to tip of the ex- 
panded wings nearly three-quarters of an inch. The 
wings are transparent except at the borders, where 
they are brownish-black. 

A few days after the egg is deposited it hatches 
into a small larva that gnaws through the stem to 
the center, where it feeds on the pith. It continues 
so to do all summer, making a burrow several inches 
in length. When full grown the larva eats nearly 
through the stem wall, leaving only the membran- 
ous outer bark, and then changes to a chrysalis 
within the burrow. When the chrysalis is ready to 
transform it wriggles partially out of this opening, 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



97 



bursting through the layer of membranous bark. 
It then rests half way out, its skin splits open in 
front and the moth crawls out, leaving a mere shell 
behind. The moth dries and expands its wings, and 
flies away. There is but one brood a year. The 
gooseberry is only occasionally attacked by this pest. 
Remedies. — Cutting and burning infested stems 
in the spring, before the moths emerge, is the only 
practicable remedy that has yet been suggested. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Imported Currant Worm. 

Nematus ventricosus. 
This insect is supposed to have been imported into 
America from Europe about 1858, since when it has 

spread over a large 
portion of the United 
States, and has become 
the most destruc- 
tive currant insect. 
Early in spring the 
four-win ged flies 
(Fig. 41) emerge from 
the tough brown co- 
coons in which they 
have hibernated, and 
deposit rows of small, 
whitish, glassy eggs 
on the principal veins 
of the under sides of 




Fig. 41. Currant Worm : a, male : 
6, female. Magnified. 



98 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CURRANT. 




Fig. 42. Currant leaf with eggs of 
Currant Worm. 



the lower leaves (Fig. 42). In about ten days the 

small worms hatch 

and eat circular 

holes in the leaf, 

as shown at 2 and 

3, Fig. 42. At first 

these 1 a r v 83 are 

whitish in color : 

they soon change 

to green , then to 

green with numer- 
ous black spots, 

and at last back 

again to a plain 

light green, with 

a tinge of yellow at the sides and ends. They are 

shown at different ages at Fig. 43. The full grown 

larvse spin tough 
brown cocoons, 
beneath the 
$£m leaves and rub- 
bish at the sur- 
face of the 
ground, within 
which they 
change to pupse. 
From these co- 
coons the fl i e s 
emerge early in 
summer, to lay 

43. Currant Worms eating leaves. eggS for a SeCOlld 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 



99 



brood of worms. As before indicated, the winter 
is passed within the cocoons, beneath the bushes. 

Remedies. — Hellebore is the best remedy for this 
pest. It may be applied as a dry powder, or in 
water — one ounce to three gallons. The bushes 
should be treated soon after the small holes appear 
in the lower leaves, and again about ten days later. 

The Currant Leaf-hopper. 

Empoa albopida. 
This is a small, pale-green insect, about one-tenth 
of an inch long, that occurs upon the under surfaces 
of the leaves of currants 
and gooseberries during 
May and June. They suck 
out the substance by means 
of their tiny beaks, which 
causes white spots to appear 
on the upper surface of the 
leaf (Fig. 44). This same 
insect also occurs upon a 
large number of other 
plants, sometimes being 
quite injurious to young- 
apple trees. The adult is 
represented considerably 
magnified at Fig. 45, a, 
and the nymph at b of the ^ 

J L Fig. 44 

same figure. The chief 

damage is done by the first brood, the insects 




Currant leaf injured by Leaf- 
hoppers. 



100 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CURRANT. 



leaving the bushes early in the summer, probably 

preferring at this time 
the m ore succulent 
foliage of other plants. 




**p 



w 




Remedies. — Spray- 
ing or dusting infested 
^, bushes with pyrethrum, 
or insect powder, will 
destroy these little pests, 

Fier. 45. Currant Leaf-hopper : a, adult : . , . 

6, nymph. Magnified. provided it is done be- 

fore they acquire wings. Tobacco powder is also said 
by many horticulturists to be an efficient remedy. 

The Currant Aphis. 

Myzus ribis. 

This is a small, yellowish aphis that is found on 
the undersides of curled and blistered currant leaves 
early in summer. Such leaves are generally tinged 
with reddish above. The insects apparently migrate 
to some other plant during the summer, returning to 
the currant in autumn, and depositing small, black 
eggs upon the stems, especially about the buds. 

Remedies. — On account of the deformed condi- 
tion of the infested leaves, these insects are difficult 
to reach with insecticides. In garden patches the 
leaves attacked may be pulled off and dropped into 
a vessel holding water, with a film of kerosene on 
top. Spra} 7 ing with kerosene emulsion quite early in 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 101 

the season, before the foliage has become conspicu- 
ously curled, would probably destroy a majority 
of the aphides then present upon the leaves. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Gooseberry Fruit-worm. 

Dakruma convolutetta. 

The fruit of the gooseberry, and occasionally of 
the currant also, is often attacked by a small worm 
that eats out the substance, leaving only the skin. 
This is the progeny of an egg laid on the fruit when 
it was quite small hj a spotted, pale gray moth. 
Soon after hatching from this egg the larva bores 
into the beny, and feeds upon the pulp. After it has 
eaten out one berry it fastens another to it by silken 
threads, and devours its contents, continuing the 
process until by the time it is fully grown it has 
formed a cluster of six or eight injured berries. At 
this time it is a pale-green caterpillar, three-fourths 
of an inch long, with a small, brown, horny-looking 
head. Shortly before the fruit ripens it lets itself to 
the ground by a silken thread, and, concealed among 
the fallen leaves and rubbish, spins a thin, silken 
cocoon within which it changes to a brown chrysalis. 
It remains in this condition until the following 
spring, when it comes forth as a moth : consequently 
there is only one brood of the larvae each year. 



102 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CURRANT. 

Remedies. — The fruit injured by these caterpil- 
lars is so conspicuous that hand-picking is a practi- 
cal remedy. This must be done rapidly as the larvae 
wriggle out of the cases and drop to the ground 
quickly when disturbed. If chickens are allowed to 
run over the ground after the fruit is gathered they 
will scratch up and devour many of the pupa?. So 
also will many be destroyed if the fallen leaves and 
rubbish are raked together and burned in autumn. 

Other Currant and Gooseberry Insects. 

There are a number of other insects that occasion- 
ally attack these fruits. The stems are sometimes 
infested by the Currant Bark -louse (Lecanium ribis} 
and the American Currant-borer (Psenocerus superno- 
tatus) ; the leaves are attacked by the Currant Span- 
worm (Eujitchia ribearia) and various other caterpil- 
lars, as well as the Four-striped Plant-bug (Poecilo- 
capsus lineatus), and the fruit is liable to injury from 
various insects, especially the Currant Fruit-worm 
(Eupithecia interruptqfasciata), the Currant Fly (Epoch- 
ra canadensis) and the Gooseberry Midge (Cecidomyia 
grossularife). But these species are rarely sufficiently 
numerous to require special remedial treatment. 

Summary of Treatment.— About the only regu- 
lar treatment currants and gooseberries require is 
that of spraying or dusting with hellebore, soon after 
the leaves expand, to destroy the Imported Currant 
Worm. Stems which at that time show by their 
drooping foliage and weak appearance that they are 
probably infested by borers, should be cut and burned. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE RASPBERRY AND 
BLACKBERRY. 

INJURING THE ROOTS. 

The Raspberry Root-borer. 

Aegerid rubi. 
The stems of raspberries and blackberries are 
sometimes injured by a whitish caterpillar with six- 
teen legs, that bores the root and base of the stem. 
This is the Raspberry Root-borer, and the caterpillar 
hatches from an egg deposited by a clear-winged 
moth upon the cane, a few inches above the soil sur- 
face. The larva, after hatching, eats into the center 

of the stalk, 
where it de- 
vours the pith, 
working down- 
ward toward the 
root. It spends 

Fig. 46. Squash Vine-borer : larva and moth. • ,i 

the winter m the 
root, feeding upon its substance, and in spring works 
upward again, generally in another cane than the 
one in which it descended. A few inches above the 
ground it gnaws almost through the stem-wall, leav- 
ing the thin outer membrane intact. It then pu- 
pates inside the cane, near the partial opening. A 
short time later the pupa wriggles through the hole, 
bursting the outer membrane, and stops when about 




104 INSECTS AFFECTING THE RASPBERRY. 

half way out. Then the skin splits open and the 
moth comes forth. An idea of the general appear- 
ance of the moth and larva may be obtained from 
Fig. 46, which represents a closely related insect, the 
Squash Vine-borer. Canes attacked bj these borers 
often wither and die, and the injury is sometimes at- 
tributed to ' winter-killing.' 

Remedies. — No other remedy than that of cut- 
ting out the larvae, or pulling up and burning the 
infested canes has yet been discovered. Fortunately 
this insect is rarely sufficiently numerous to do serious 
injury. It occurs in wild as well as cultivated sorts. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Raspberry Slug. 

Selandria rubi. 
The Raspberry Slug, or Raspberry Saw-fly, is 
a four-winged black fly with a reddish abdomen, 
which deposits its eggs during spring in the rasp- 
berry leaf. The eggs soon hatch into small, whitish 
worms that feed upon the soft tissues of the tender 
foliage. In a few weeks they become full grown. 
They are then about three-fourths of an inch long, 
of a dark green color, and have the body thickly 
covered with spinose tubercles. The slugs now 
descend to the ground and construct rather firm 
cocoons slightly beneath the soil surface. They 
remain in these cocoons until the following spring, 
when they come forth as adult flies. 



INJURING THE CANES. 105 

Remedies. — These insects can easily be destroyed 
by dusting or spraying the infested bushes with 
powdered hellebore. In spraying, use from one-half 
to one pound of hellebore to fifty gallons of water. 



INJURING THE CANES. 

The Raspberry Cane-borer. 

Oberea bimaculata. 

The adult of this insect is a slender-bodied, black 
beetle, with a yellow collar just behind the head. It 
appears early in summer, usually during June in 
the Northern States, and deposits eggs in the green 
canes of raspberries and blackberries. The process 
of oviposition is peculiar : the beetle makes two trans- 
verse rows of punctures, about half an inch apart, in 
the cane, towards the tip, and midway between these 
she deposits the egg. The rows of punctures make 
up a kind of girdling which causes the tip of the 
cane to wither. A short time after the egg is de- 
posited, it hatches into a small cylindrical larva that 
bores downwards through the pith. By autumn 
they have frequently reached the bottom of the cane, 
where they change to pupse, and the following June 
emerge again as beetles. 

Remedies. — Soon after the canes are punctured 
by the beetle they wilt : consequently, if they are ex- 
amined about midsummer, affected canes can easily 
be distinguished, and they should then be cut off 
below the lower ring of punctures, and burned. If 



106 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE RASPBERRY. 



the injury is noticed later, the whole cane should be 
pulled up and destroyed, to be sure to get the larva. 

The Snowy Tree Cricket. 

Oecanthus niveus. 
Serious damage is frequently done in raspberry 
plantations by a small, white tree-cricket, which de- 
posits its eggs in longitudinal rows in the green 
canes. One of these rows as it appears when the 
insect has completed its work is 
represented at Fig. 47, a, and the 
cane split open to show how the 
eggs are inserted is shown at b of 
the same figure. At c may be 
seen one of the elongated, slightly- 
curved, yellow eggs, considerably 
magnified, with an opaque, granu- 
lated cap at the upper end : d is a 
more highly magnified view of 
this cap. The eggs hatch early in 
summer into young crickets bear- 
ins: a general resemblance to the 
adults, though without wings. 
They feed upon plant-lice and 
other insects during their entire 
existence, being consequently in 
this way friends rather than foes 
of the fruit-grower. By the latter 
part of summer they become fully g^*^Vgg mag- 
grown. They are then of a pale, Sik£ e ^ ap ' more 




Fig. 47. Eggs of Snowy 
Tree-cricket : a, egg punc- 




INJURING THE CANES. 107 

whitish-green color, about four-fifths of an inch 
long, and of the form represented at Fig. 48. 
The female cricket deposits her eggs in the ten- 
der, growing canes of raspberries, blackberries, 
and grapes, and the twigs of maple, willow, catalpa, 
and several other species of trees. 
The injury thus done often causes the 
raspberries to die beyond the punc- 
tures, or else the damaged canes 
are broken off during the winter. 
Remedies. — Trimming out and 
• burning during fall or winter the 
canes containing the eggs is about ^ 

° && Fig. 4S. bnowyTree- 

the only practicable remedy known. cricket - Male. 

Other Raspberry and Blackberry Insects. 

Raspberries and blackberries are subject to attack' 
by various insects besides those discussed in the 
foregoing pages. Certain galls are sometimes found 
upon the roots or stems, due when on the roots usu- 
ally to the Raspberry -root Gall-fly (Rhodites radicum), 
and when on th« canes to the Red-necked Agrilus 
{Agrilus ruficoUis), or to the Blackberry Gall-fly 
(Diastrophus nebulosus). The foliage is sometimes 
eaten by various caterpillars or beetles, and the 
fruit is occasionally infested by the Flea-like Negro- 
bug, or the Raspberry Span-worm (Syrichlora rubivo- 
raria). But these various insects as a rule only do 
an incidental injury, and are rarely sufficiently 
numerous to require special remedial treatment. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 

INJURING THE ROOT. 

The Grape Root-borer, 

Aegeria polistiformis. 

The roots of grapes are sometimes found to be 
attacked by a whitish, cylindrical caterpillar with 
sixteen legs, which bears a strong, general resem- 
blance to the Peach-tree Borer. This is the insect 
named above. " When full grown," according to 
Dr. Riley, " the larva measures from an inch to an 
inch and three-quarters, and it then forms a pod-like 
cocoon of a gummy sort of silk, covered with little 
bits of wood bark and dirt. Within this cocoon it 
becomes a chrysalis which in due time, by aid of 
rows of minute teeth with which it is furnished, 
works its way out of the cocoon to the surface of the 
ground, and gives forth the moth. As with the 
Peach-borer, this insect requires a year to develop, 
and is found in its different states of larva, chrysalis 
and moth, throughout the summer months, and it 
doubtless also passes the winter as a larva," The 
moth is a wasp-like creature, black, with bright, yel- 
low bands across the abdomen. 

Remedies. — This insect is rarely seriously injuri- 
ous. When a vine shows by its weak or drooping 
appearance that it is suffering from an injury at the 



INJURING THE ROOT. 109 

root, the earth should be dug away and the borers 
searched for, as is done with the Peach-borer. It has 
been suggested that mounding about the base of the 
vine with earth would prevent the deposition of eggs.. 

The Grape Phylloxera. 

Phylloxera vastatrix. 

The Grape Phylloxera is the worst insect enemy of 

the vineyardist. Its ravages have ruined thousands 

of acres of grapes in France and other European 

countries, and much damage has been done by it in 




Fig. 49. Phylloxera galls on grape leaf. 

America. There are two forms of it, one inhabiting 
the roots (represented in its various stages at Fig. 51), 
and one inhabiting the leaves (Fig. 50) upon which 
it forms minute galls (Fig. 49). 

7 



110 INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 

Entomologists and horticulturists are indebted to 
Dr. C. V. Riley for the elucidation of the life-history 
•of this curious insect, which, in his Seventh Report 
as State Entomologist of Missouri, he has summar- 
ized as follows : " It hibernates mostly as a young 
larva torpidly attached to the roots, and so deepened 
in color as generally to be of a dull brassy-brown, 
and, therefore, with difficulty perceived, as the roots 
•are often of the same color. With the renewal of 
vine growth in the spring, this larva molts, rapidly 
increases in size, and soon commences laying eggs. 
These eggs in due time give birth to young, which 
soon become virginal, egg-laying mothers, like the 
first ; and like them, always remain wingless. Five 
or six generations of these parthenogenetic, egg- 
bearing, apterous mothers follow each other ; when 
— about the middle of July, in this latitude — some 
of the individuals begin to acquire wings. These 
are all females, and, like the wingless mothers, they 
are parthenogenetic. Having issued from the 
ground, while in the pupa state, they rise in the air 
and spread to new vineyards, where they deliver 
themselves of their issue in the form of eggs or egg- 
like bodies — usually two or three in number, and 
not exceeding eight — and then perish. These eggs 
are of two sizes, the larger about 0.02 inch long, and 
the smaller about three-fifths of that length. In the 
course of a fortnight they produce the sexual indi- 
viduals, the larger ones giving birth to females, the 
smaller to males. These sexual individuals are born 



INJURING THE EOOT. 



Ill 



for no other purpose than the reproduction of their 
kind, and are without means of flight, or of taking 
food, or excreting. 

" They are quite active and couple readily, one male 
being capable, no doubt, of serving several females : 




Fig. 50. Grape Phylloxera, leaf form : a, b, newly hatched nvmphs, 
dorsal and ventral view ; c, egg ; d, section of gall ; e, swelling of 
tendril ; /, g, h, mother of gall-louse, lateral, dorsal and ventral 
views ; i, her antenna ; j, two-jointed tarsus. Natural sizes indi- 
cated by small dots or figures. 

the abdomen of the female, after impregnation, en- 
larges somewhat, and she is soon delivered of a soli- 
tary egg, which differs from the egg of the partheno- 
genetic mother only in becoming somewhat darker. 
This impregnated egg gives birth to a young louse 
which becomes a virginal, egg-bearing, wingless 
mother, and thus recommences the cycle of the spe- 
cies' evolution. But one of the most important dis- 
coveries of Bolbiana is that, during the latter part of 
the season, many of the wingless, hypogean mothers 
perforin the very same function as the winged ones ; 



112 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



i. e., they lay a few eggs which are of two sizes and 
which produce males and females, organized and 
constructed precisely as those born of the winged 
females, and like them producing the solitary im- 
pregnated egg. Thus, the interesting fact is estab- 
lished that even the winged form is by no means 
essential to the perpetuation of the species ; but that, 
if all such winged individuals were destroyed as fast 
as they issue from the ground, the species could go 
on multiplying in a vineyard from year to year. 
We have, therefore, the spectacle of an underground 
insect possessing the power of continued existence, 
even where confined to its subterranean retreats. It 




Fig. 51. Grape Phylloxera, root form : a, infested rootlets ; 6, hiber- 
nating larva ; c, d, antenna and leg of same ; e,f, g, more mature 
forms ; h, granulations of skin ; i, tubercle ; j, transverse folds at 
border of joints ; k, simple eyes. 

spreads in the wingless state from vine to vine and 
from vineyard to vineyard, when these are adjacent, 
either through passages in the ground itself, or over 



INJURING THE ROOT. 113 

the surface. At the same time it is able, in the 
winged condition, to migrate to more distant points. 
The winged females, as before stated, begin to appear 
in July, and continue to issue from the ground until 
vine growth ceases in the fall. Yet they are much 
more abundant in August than during any other 
month, and on certain days may be said to literally 
swarm. Every piece of a root a few inches long, and 
having rootlets, taken from an infested vine at this 
season, will present a goodly proportion of pupse ; 
and an ordinary quart preserve jar, filled with such 
roots and tightly closed, will furnish daily, for two 
or three weeks, a dozen or more of the winged 
females, which gather on the sides of the jar toward 
the light. We may get some idea, from this fact, of 
the immense numbers that disappear through the 
air to new fields, from a single acre of infested vines, 
in the course of the late summer and fall months. 
If to the above account we add that occasionally 
individuals abandon their normal underground 
habit, and form galls upon the leaves of certain va- 
rieties of grape-vine we have, in a general way, the 
whole natural history of the species." 

Remedies. — In America comparatively little has 
been done in a practical way in fighting this insect, 
because its injuries here are usually not serious. But 
in Europe a great deal has been accomplished in 
preventing its injuries. According to. Dr. Riley the 
means employed there " consist in (1) methods which 
avoid the necessity of direct treatment, comprising 



114 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



the use of American stocks and planting in sandy 
soils ; (2) the employment of insecticides (bisulphide 
of carbon, sulphocarbonate of potassium, and the 
kerosene emulsion) ; and (3) submersion." 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Grape-vine Flea-beetle. 

Graptodera chalybea. 
This is a small, steel-blue beetle (Fig. 52, d) that 
is often very destructive to grape-vines. It hiber- 
nates as an adult. ' As soon in spring as the buds 
begin to swell the beetles come forth and attack them. 

The injury at 
this time is 
often great, 
because the 
immature leaf 
and fl o w e r 
buds are so 
easily destroy- 
ed. The bee- 
tles continue 
feeding for 
three or four 
weeks, during 
the latter part 
of the time de- 
positing small 
orange-yellow 
eggs in clusters on the under sides of the leaves. 




Fig. 52. Grape-vine Flea-beetle: a, leaf infested by 
larvte ; b, larva, magnified ; c, cocoon ; d, beetle, 
magnified. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 115 

They then die, and in a few days the eggs hatch into 
small, dark-colored larvae that feed upon the foliage. 
As they grow older they gnaw irregular holes in the 
leaves, giving them a. ragged and unsightly appear- 
ance (Fig. 52, a). When fully grown (three or four 
weeks after hatching) they are about three-tenths of 
an inch long, brown in color, with six legs, and four 
or five black dots on the back of each ring or seg- 
ment of the body. The head is black, and there are 
numerous hairs on the body. One is shown some- 
what magnified at b, Fig. 52. When fully grown 
the larvae leave the vines, and, entering the soil, form 
earthen cocoons (c), within which they change to 
pupae. A kw weeks later they again transform and 
emerge as perfect beetles. These also feed upon the 
foliage and lay eggs for a second brood of larvae. 

Remedies. — Spraying with Paris green (3 ounces 
to 50 gallons water) is probably the best remedy for 
this pest. They may also be destroyed by pyreth- 
rum or insect powder. On cool mornings the beetles 
are quite sluggish, and may be collected by jarring 
them on sheets. 

The Rose Chafer. 

Macrodadylus subspinosus. 
This insect has been known for nearly a century 
as a serious enemy of the horticulturist. It is dis- 
tributed over a large portion of the United States, 
but appears to be injurious only in certain localities 
where areas of low, sandy bottom-lands offer unusual 




116 INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 

opportunities for it to multiply. It feeds in the 
beetle state upon a very great variety of trees and 
plants, often being exceedingly injurious to the flow- 
ers or foliage of apples, pears, plums, peaches, roses, 
raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and other plants. 

The adult Rose Chafer, 
Rose Beetle or Rose Bug, 
is a hard, brown insect, not 
quite half an inch long, 
of the form represented 
at Fig. 53. c. It makes its 
appearance early in sum- 
mer, about the time grapes Fig. 53. Rose Chafer : a, larva ;. 6, 
. , . , -, pupa ; c, beetle. Slightly magnified. 

come into blossom, and 

feeds upon the flowers, foliage or fruit of the plants 
already mentioned. After pairing, the females de- 
posit thirty or more eggs an inch or so beneath the 
soil surface, preferring for this purpose, according to 
Dr. Riley's observations, ' low, open meadow land or 
cultivated fields, particularly where the soil is light 
and sandy.' In two or three weeks the eggs hatch 
into grubs that feed upon the roots of grass, and 
possibly other plants, and become fully grown (a) in 
autumn. As winter approaches they go deeper into 
the soil, coming to the surface again in spring, and 
making for themselves rude, earthen cells in which 
they change to the pupa state (b). Three or four 
weeks later they again change, and the perfect beetle 
comes forth. Thus there is but one brood a year. 
The insect lives in the beetle state about a month. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 117 

Remedies. — There is, perhaps, no fruit insect so 
difficult to combat as this. As yet no practicable 
method of destroying it in its breeding grounds has 
been found, and the success attending the various 
preventives of beetle injury has been by no means 
universal. Spraying or dusting with pyrethrum or 
insect powder has been found to stupefy the beetles 
temporarily, and will occasionally prove useful in 
protecting fruits. A single rose-bush or grape-vine 
may be covered with mosquito netting, but of course 
this is impracticable on a large scale. Thorough 
spraying of grape-vines and fruit-trees with a wash 
made by adding three or four pecks of freshly 
slaked lime, and a quart of crude carbolic acid to 50 
gallons of water, has been reported by several exten- 
sive fruit growers, who have tried it on a large scale, 
to be entirely successful, although on the other hand 
some who have tried it in a smaller way say it did 
little or no good. For the commercial fruit-grower, 
however, this seems the most promising remedy. In 
parts of New Jersey, hand-picking has been resorted 
to as the only sure method of extermination, the in- 
sects being collected in the cooler hours of the day. 

The Spotted Grape-vine Beetle. 

Pelidnota punctata. 

This insect has been known for years to attack 

grape-vines, but it has rarely been reported to do 

really serious injury to them, probably because it 

•usually is present in such limited numbers that its 



118 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



depredations are insignificant. The larva (Fig. 54, a) 
feeds on the decaying roots of various trees, and re- 
sembles somewhat the common white grub of mead- 
ows — the larva of the May Beetle. Its general color 
is w h i t i s h, v.** Ji 

with the head 
chestnut- 
brown. It is 
supposed to, 
require three 
years to com- 
plete its de- 
v e 1 o p ment. 
When full- 
grown it forms 
a sort of co- 
coon, within 
w h i c h it 
changes to the chrysalis or pupa state, to emerge 
about a fortnight later as an adult beetle. 

The general color of the upper surface of the beetle 
is a dull yellowish brown, but the thorax is darker, 
and somewhat bronzed ; and the under surface is of 
a brilliant metallic greenish-black hue. There are 
three distinct black dots on each of the wing covers,, 
and also one on each side of the thorax. The beetle 
usually feeds upon the foliage of wild and cultivated 
grape-vines, and also on the Virginia Creeper; but 
sometimes attacks green grapes, biting holes through 
the skin, and so ruining the fruit. 




Fig. 54. 



Spotted Grape-vine Beetle : a, larva ; 
b, pupa ; c. beetle. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



119' 



Remedies. — The only practical remedy so far 
proposed is that of collecting the beetles by hand and 
destroying them. As they fly especially just at dusk,, 
this is the best time for accomplishing the work. 

Grape Sphinx Moths. 

The grape forms the favorite food of several spe- 
cies of large and handsome sphinx moths. As there 
•is not space to discuss each of these, we will take the 
Achemon Sphinx (Philampelus achemon) as an exam- 
ple. The adult of this species (Fig. 55) is one of the 





Fig. 55. The Achemon Sphinx. 

most beautiful of the hawk moths. It measures 
three and a half inches across its expanded wings, 
and is brownish-gray in color, with lighter brown 
variegations and deeper brown spots arranged on 
the front wings, as shown in the figure. The poste- 
rior wings are pink, more reddish toward the middle, 



120 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



and having a wide grayish border along the hind 
margin, on the front edge of which is a row of dark 
spots. These moths make their appearance during 
June and July, flying about grape-vines and various 




Fig. 56. Pupa of Achernon Sphinx. 

flowers at dusk, and depositing their eggs on the un- 
der sides of the leaves of grape and Virginia Creeper. 
Within a few da}^s these eggs hatch into little larvae 
that feed upon the foliage, growing so rapidly that 
by September they are nearly four inches long, and 
as thick as a man's finger (Fig. 57). At this time 
different individuals vary greatly in color, some be- 
ing straw-yellow and others reddish-brown. There 
are six cream-colored spots along the sides, and nu- 
merous little dots scattered over the body. The head 




Fig. 57. Larva of Achenion Sphinx. 

and first two body segments are smaller than the 
rest, allowing the caterpillar to draw them partially 
inside the next one back. 

The fully-grown caterpillar descends to the ground, 
and entering the soil several inches forms a smooth 
oval cell, within which it changes to a dark, shining 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 121 

brown pupa or chrysalis (Fig. 56). It remains in 
this condition until the following year, when it 
emerges as a moth again. 

The Green Grape-vine Sphinx (Darapsa myrori) 
and the Pandoras Sphinx (Philampelus pandorus) are 
closely related to the Achemon Sphinx, and similar 
to it in life - history ^ ^J) 

and habits. All three 
species are subject to 
the attacks of a small 
parasitic fl y, that 

SpillS OVal COC0011S Fig. 58. Caterpillar with Cocoons of Parasite. 

upon the backs of the Adult Parasite at right Latter magnifie(L 
caterpillars, as shown at Fig. 58, which represents the 
larva of the Green Grape-vine Sphinx so infested. 
The life-history of these little creatures has already 
been described in the Introduction (page 15). 
Remedies. — Fortunately these sphinx larvae sel- 
dom become sufficiently numerous to do serious in- 
jury. They are so conspicuous both on account of 
their size and the defoliated condition of the branches 
upon which they are at w T ork, that hand-picking is 
usually a sufficiently simple and practical remedy. 

The Abbot Sphinx. 

Thyreus abbotii. 

This is a comparatively rare species, and has never 

been known to do serious injury in vineyards. The 

moth (Fig. 59), a handsome, chocolate-brown insect, 

measuring two and a half inches across the expanded 



122 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



wings, appears in spring, and deposits eggs upon the 
grape-vines. The larva soon hatches, and feeds upon 
the leaves, becoming fully grown during the latter 
part of summer. It is then about two and a half 





Fig. 59. Abbot Sphinx: larva and moth. 

inches long, yellowish or reddish-brown in color, and 
of the form represented in the upper illustration of 
Fig. 59. It now descends to the ground, where it 
forms a loose cocoon, within which it changes to the 
chrysalis state, remaining in that condition until the 
following spring, when it emerges as a moth again. 
Remedies. — Unless this insect becomes much 
more numerous than it has been heretofore, it can 
easily be held in check by a little hand-picking. 

The Grape-vine Leaf-hopper. 

Typlocyba vitis. 
This little insect is frequently called the Grape 
'Thrips, but its more proper name is the one given 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 123 

above, as it is not a thrips at all, but a true leaf- 
hopper. It is a beautiful little creature, about one- 
tenth of an inch long, yellow with bright red mark- 
ings, and of the form represented at Plate III, Fig. 5 
(p. 84). " They make their first appearance," says 
Dr. Harris, " on the leaves in June, when they are 
very small and not provided with wings, being then 
in the larva state. During most of the time they 
remain perfectly quiet with their beaks thrust into 
the leaves, from which they derive their nourishment 
by suction. If disturbed, however, they leap from 
one leaf to another with great agility. As they in- 
crease in size they have occasion frequently to change 
their skins, and great numbers of their empty cast- 
skins, of a white color, will be found throughout the 
summer adhering to the under sides of the leaves, 
and upon the ground beneath the vines. When 
arrived at maturity, which generally occurs during 
the month of August, they are still more agile than 
before, making use of their delicate wings as well as 
their legs in their motions from place to place ; and 
when the leaves are agitated they leap and fly from 
them in swarms, but soon alight and begin again 
their destructive operations. The infested leaves at 
length become yellow, sickly, and prematurely dry, 
and give to the vine at midsummer the aspect it 
naturally assumes on the approach of winter. In 
autumn the leaf-hoppers desert the vines, and retire 
for shelter during the coming winter beneath fallen 
leaves, and among the decayed tufts and roots of 



124 INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 

grass, where they remain till the following spring,, 
when they emerge from their winter quarters, deposit 
their eggs upon the leaves of the vine, and perish." 

Remedies. — If the vines are dusted early in the- 
season, before the leaf-hoppers have acquired wings, 
with pyrethrum (insect powder) or tobacco dust, by- 
means of some apparatus like Leggett's powder gun, 
the pests will be destroyed by the million. This 
appears to be the most promising remedy for them. 
Some vineyardists catch them on a sheet, saturated 
with kerosene or covered with tar, the sheet being 
stretched on a frame which is carried along one side 
of the row, while somebody goes along the other 
side of the vines and frightens the insects toward it. 

The Grape-vine Leaf-roller. 

Desmia maculalis. 
This is a slender, somewhat flattened, yellowish- 
green caterpillar, measuring when full grown about 
three-quarters of an inch, that rolls the leaves of 
grape-vines, fastening the sides together by silken 
threads. It hatches from an egg laid on the leaf hy 
a pretty little dark -brown moth, expanding nearly 
an inch, and having several conspicuous white spots 
on its wings. The larva usually pupates within the 
folded leaf. There are two broods each season, the- 
first brood of larvae pupating about midsummer, to 
emerge as moths shortly afterwards, and the second 
pupating in autumn and hibernating as chrysalids. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



125 



Remedies. — This insect is seldom sufficiently nu- 
merous to require remedial treatment. The larvse 
may be crushed within their cases, or the cases picked 
off and burned late in autumn, before the leaves fall 
off, if they threaten to become seriously destructive. 

The Beautiful Wood-nymph. 

Eudryas grata. 
This is a very handsome insect, both in its imma- 
ture and adult stages. The moth (Fig. 60, g) meas- 
ures nearly two in- 



ches across its ex- 
panded front wings, 
which are of a glos- 
sy creamy - white 
color, beautifully 
marked with pur- 
ple, brown a n d 
green. It lays its 
eggs (e,f) on the 
under side of the 
leaves. The larvae 
soon hatch and feed 
upon the foliage. 




Fig. 60. Beautiful Wood-nymph : a, larva ; 
«, /, egg, magnified ; g, moth. 



developing rapidly, so that by the latter part of sum- 
mer they are full grown (a), the body being of a pale 
bluish color, crossed by bands and lines of orange 
and black. The larvse now leave the vine and seek 
some concealed situation in which to pupate. They 
pass the winter in the chrysalis state, and emerge 
the following spring as moths. 



126 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GRAPE. 



Remedies. — This insect is rarely injurious, prob- 
ably because it is kept in check by certain parasites. 
It can be destroyed, if it should become too numer- 
ous, by hand picking, or by spraying or dusting 
the infested vines with pyrethrum or hellebore. 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 

The Grape-berry Moth. 

Eudemis botrana. 
Grapes are frequently injured by having their 
substance eaten out by a small, whitish worm that 
fastens three or four berries together with silken 
threads, and devours the contents of each. This in- 
sect is the larva or caterpillar of the Grape-berry 
Moth, a species imported many years ago from Eu- 
rope, where it has long been known as an enemy of 
the vine. The adult is a small, bluish moth, that 
-deposits its eggs late in June or early in July. The 




Fig. 61. Grape-berry Moth : a, moth; 6, larva; d, injured fruit. 

very young caterpillar is found within the skin of 
the grape, devouring the contents. When it has 



INJURING THE FRUIT. 127 

finished one it gnaws its way out and enters a neigh- 
boring berry, fastening the two together with silken 
threads (Fig. 61, d). In this way three or four 
berries are frequently destroyed by a single larva, 
which, when fully grown, is about a quarter of an 
inch long, of a dull green color tinged with red, and 
covered with a few short hairs. It pupates on the 
leaf, first cutting out a crescent-shaped flap which it 
binds down by means of silken threads, forming a 
snug, tight cocoon. About a fortnight later, in 
southern latitudes, the moths appear, to lay eggs for 
a second brood, which hibernates in the pupa state. 

Remedies. — The only remedies as yet suggested 
are those of gathering and burning the fallen leaves 
in autumn or early winter, or picking and burning 
injured fruit, being sure to get the larva with it. 

Other Grape Insects. 

The grape is subject to attack by many insects 
besides those discussed in the preceding pages. The 
roots are sometimes bored by the gigantic larvae of 
two species of Prionus — the Broad-necked Prionus 
(P. laticollis) and the Tile-horned Prionus (P. imbri- 
cornis), but these insects usually infest only grape- 
vines planted on new land, and are seldom injurious 
in older fields. The branches are attacked by a va- 
riety of species, including certain tree-hoppers, the 
Maple Bark-louse, the Red-shouldered Sinoxylon (S. 
basilare), and certain gall-making insects. The ene- 
mies to the foliage of the grape are legion, and 



128 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE GEAPE. 



include insects of varied habits and natural orders. 
The fruit is sometimes injured by the larva of a 
small snout-beetle, called the Grape Curculio (Crapon- 
ius insequlis), and also by a very minute larva that 
occurs inside the seed, the Grape-seed Maggot (Isosoma 
vitis). But these insects are seldom really injurious. 

Summary of Treatment. — The grape is subject 
to attack by so great a variety of insect enemies that 
it is difficult to give any general directions for the 
season's treatment. It must largely be regulated 
according to the insects present. Clean culture,, 
however, is always advisable, as it lessens the oppor- 
tunities for many species to survive the winter 
successfully. 




PART III. 



INSECTS 

AFFECTING SHADE TREES, 

ORNAMENTAL PLANTS, and FLOWERS. 



f 




INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 

INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Cecropia Emperor-moth. 

Platysamia cecropia. 

People are often puzzled during winter over large, 

peculiar, grayish-brown cocoons (Fig. 63) that occur 

not infrequently on the limbs of maple, apple, pear, 

cherry, and a great variety of fruit and shade trees. 




Fig. 62. Cecropia Caterpillar. 

These are the cocoons of one of the largest and hand- 
somest American insects — the Cecropia Emperor- 
moth, illustrated, natural size, at Plate IV. This 
moth often measures six or seven inches across the 
front wings, the ground color of all the wings being 
a grizzled, dusky brown, with the hind margins clay 
colored ; near the middle of each wing there is an 
opaque, kidney-shaped, dull red spot, having a white- 
center, and a narrow, black edging, and beyond the 
spot there is a wavy, reddish band bordered internally 
with white. The fore-wings, next to the shoulders, 
are dull red with a curved, white band, and near 



132 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



the tips of the same is an eye-like black spot within 
a bluish-white crescent. The upper sides of the 
body and the legs are reddish ; the fore part of the 





Fig. 64. Cecropia Pupa. 



Fig. 63. Cocoon of Cecropia Moth. 

thorax, and the hinder edges of the rings of the ab- 
domen are white ; the under surface of the body is 
checkered with red and white. 

The moths come forth from the cocoons in June 

and deposit their eggs on 
the various kinds of trees 
upon which the larvae live. 
About a week later the 
eggs hatch into small, 
spiny caterpillars, that devour the foliage and rapidly 
increase in size. They are very voracious, and reach 
maturity late in summer. They are then (Fig. 62) 
often over three inches long, as thick as a man's 
thumb, and have, along the back, rows of large, coral- 
red tubercles. Early in autumn they spin their 
silken cocoons, within which they change to dark 
brown pupse (Fig. 64), remaining in this condition 
until the following summer, when they come forth 
as moths to lay eggs for another brood. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



133 



There are several species of parasites that prey 
upon the Cecropia caterpillars. On this account they 
only occasionally become injurious. 

Remedies. — By spraying with the arsenites, or 
hand-picking the larvae or cocoons, this insect may be 
easily checked when it threatens to become destructive. 

The White-marked Tussock-moth. 

Orgyia leucostigma. 

This insect is one of the most destructive leaf-eat- 
ing caterpillars, and during recent years has done 
much damage in many cities and villages. The 
larva feeds upon the foliage of a great variety <J 
fruit and shade trees. 

If the trunks or larger limbs of maple, apple, elm, 
or any other of the trees infested by this insect, be 
examined any time in autumn or winter, after the 
leaves have fallen, one may find scattered here and 
there upon the bark thin gray cocoons, many of 
which will be covered with large bunches of spheri- 
cal white eggs, fastened together by a protecting 




Fig. 65. Caterpillar of White-marked Tussock-moth. 

froth-like mass. In May, soon after the leaves come 
out, these eggs hatch into small caterpillars, which 



134 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TKEES. 



at once begin eating the foliage about them. They 
continue to devour it for six or seven weeks, when 
they become full-grown. They are then very hand- 
some (Fig. 65) and measure a little over an inch. 
The general color is bright yellow. The head and 
two tubercle-like projections on the hinder portion 
of the back are of a bright, coral-red. There are four 
•cream-colored tufts of hair along the back. Two 
long black plumes project forward from just behind 
the sides of the head, and another projects back- 
ward from the posterior end of the body. About the 
middle of July the caterpillars spin thin, whitish co- 
coons upon the rougher bark, and about a fortnight 






Fig. 66. White marked Tussock-moth: a, female moth on cocoon ; 6, young 
larva hanging hy thread ; c, female pupa ; d, male pupa ; e, male moth. 

later come forth as moths. These lay eggs for a sec- 
ond brood, which completes its transformations be- 
fore winter sets in. The pupa of the female (Fig. 
66, c) is larger than that of the male (d). The male 
moth differs greatly from the female moth, the for- 
mer being winged (Fig. 66, e), while the latter is 
wingless (a). The female crawls upon the top of the 
cocoon (a) as soon as she emerges from the pupa 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



135 



•state, where, after mating with the male, she deposits 
her eggs in a single mass and dies. 

Remedies. — The increase of this insect is greatly 
checked by several parasitic enemies, nearly a dozen 
species of two-winged and four-winged flies being 
known to prey upon it. The caterpillars may be 
destroyed by spraying the infested trees with the 
arsenites — Paris green or London purple; or the 
egg masses may be picked off the bark in winter. 



The Fall Web- worm. 

Hyphantria cunea. 

The work of few insects is more universally known 
than that of the Fall Web-worm. Late in summer 
and early in autumn the conspicuous, unsightly webs 
■of this pest may be seen in nearly every orchard and 
hedgerow over a 
large portion o f 
the United States. 
The adult is a 
pretty, white moth 
(Fig. 67, c), which 
deposits eggs on . 
the leaves of vari- 
ous trees early in 
summer. These 
soon hatch into young caterpillars that begin at once 
to spin a protective web. The young worms are of 
■a pale-yellow color, sparsely covered with hairs, and 
-have a black head and two rows of black marks 




Fig. 67 



Fall Web-worm : a, larvs 
c, moth. 



6, pupa ; 



136 INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 

upon the body. They feed upon the parenchyma of 
the foliage, leaving the network of veins, and grow 
quite rapidly, enlarging the web as they develop. 
By the time they are full grown a single lot of them 
will destroy the foliage of a good-sized branch, mak- 
ing it very conspicuous on account of the web-like 
covering. At this time the larvae are a little more 
than an inch long (a), with the body densely clothed 
with yellowish hairs. They now leave their nests 
and descend to the ground, where just beneath the 
surface, or under some suitable shelter above the sur- 
face, they spin slight, silken cocoons within which 
they change to the chrysalis state. At the North 
there is but one brood each year, but in the Southern 
States there are two. 

Remedies. The webs of this insect are so con- 
spicuous that it is an easy matter to cut them off and 
burn or crush the larvae. This is a simple remedy,, 
and the earlier it is done the better. The pest 
may also be destroyed by spraying with London 
purple or Paris green when the larvae are young. 

The Imported Elm Leaf-beetle. 

Galeruca xanthomelsena. 
During recent years this insect has been exceed- 
ingly destructive in many cities of the Eastern States 
to that loveliest of shade trees — the elm. It has 
long. been known in the Old World, having been 
especially injurious in France and Germany, and 
is supposed to have been imported into America 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



137" 



during the early part of the present century. The- 
eggs (Fig. 68, a,) are laid on the under side of the- 
leaf in two or 
three rows, each 
group consist- 
ing of from five 
to twenty eggs. 
At e in the fig- 
ure they are 
shown consid- 
erably magni- 
fied, and as will 
be seen they are 
very close to- 
gether, and fas- 
tened securely 
to the leaf. In # 
about a week 
the larvse hatch 
and begin eat- 
ing the leaves, 
causing them to 
look as if rid- 
dled with fine 

Shot. They Fig. 68. Elm Leaf-beetle : a, eggs ; 6, larvse ; c, beetle^ 
t j* i i all natural size ; e, eggs ; g, larva ; j, pupa ; 

become IUlly k, beetle ; e to * magnified. 

grown (g) in two or three weeks, when they descend 
to the ground, and, finding some convenient shelter, 
change to pupse (j). Ten days later the perfect 
beetles (c, natural size ; k, magnified,) come forth and 
eat the leaves, although the damage done by the- 




138 INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 

insect in this beetle state is much less than that done 
by the young, growing larvae. There are three or 
four broods each season, and the beetles pass the 
winter in whatever shelter they can find> especially 
congregating in hollow trees, and under old leaves. 
Remedies. — This pest can be held in check by 
spraying with London purple or Paris green (4 ozs. 
to 50 gals, water). The application should be made 
when the eggs are being laid, in order to kill the 
larvae before they have done any damage. The 
addition of a little flour to the poison mixture seems 
to render it more effective. To reach the tops of 
high trees a pump of considerable power is required. 
Gould's Double-acting Garden or Fire Engine seems 
to be especially adapted for this purpose. 

The Bag-worm. 

Thyridopteryx ephemerseformis. 
The twigs of various deciduous and coniferous 
trees are often infested during the winter months by 
small bags or sacs (of the form shown at Fig. 69, e) 
suspended to the leaves or branches. If one of the 
larger of these bags be cut open, there will be found 
within it a brown, membranous shell (the pupa case 
-of the moth) filled with many small, yellow eggs (e). 
In this condition the Bag-worm or Basket-worm 
passes the winter. Late in spring the larvae hatch, 
and at once form little cases of fragments of leaves 
fastened together by silken threads. Beneath these 
-cases (g) they feed upon the foliage, enlarging them as 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



139* 



the larvse develop, and during later life using bits of 
twigs or stems in their construction, instead of leaf 
particles. The full-grown larva is represented in its- 
bag at /, and without it at a. When fully developed 
the worms descend to the earth by means of silken 
threads, and crawl about until they reach the bases 
of other trees, which they ascend. This is the way 
the species migrates. The larvse pupate within the 
cases, and about three weeks later change to moths.. 




Fig. 69. Bag-worm : a, larva ; 6, male pupa ; c, female moth ; d, male 
moth ; e, bag and pupa case cut open to show eggs ; /, full-grown 
larva with bag; g, young larvse with their conical coverings. 

The two sexes of the moths differ greatly, the male 
(d ) having well developed wings, while the female 
(c) is wingless. The latter deposits her eggs in the 
empty pupa case from which she has emerged, and 
falls to the ground, where soon afterward she dies.. 
The Bag-worm feeds upon a great variety of trees, 
and apparently prefers coniferous to deciduous sorts.. 



140 INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 

Red Cedar and Arbor Vitse are especially subject to 
.attack. Its injuries are sometimes very severe on 
-shade trees in city streets and public parks. There 
are several parasitic insects that prey upon the larvse. 

Remedies. — The simplest remedy for this insect 
is that of spraying with London purple or Paris 
green. This should be done in early summer when 
the worms are young. Effective work also can be 
done, according to Dr. Riley, " during the winter time 
or when the trees are bare. The bags which contain 
the hibernating eggs, and which are very easily de- 
tected then, may be gathered or pruned and burned. 
This work may be so easily done that there is no ex- 
cuse for the increase of this species. Where intelli- 
gent action is possible, the bags were better collected 
and heaped together in some open enclosure away 
from trees, rather than burned. By this means most 
-of the parasites will in time escape, while the young 
Bag-worms, which will in time hatch, and which 
have feeble traveling power, must needs perish from 
inability to reach proper food." 

The Green-striped Maple-worm. 

Anisota rubicund a. 
In many Western States maple trees are regularly 
'defoliated by a large caterpillar, alternately striped 
with light yellowish-green and dark-green, having 
two long, black horns on the second segment behind 
the head, and other similar but shorter horns on the 
posterior segments (Fig. 70, a). This is the Green- 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



141 



striped Maple-worm. It is the larva of a handsome, 
yellowish-pink moth (c), sometimes called the Rosy 
Dryocampa. These moths appear early in summer, 




Fig. 70. Green-striped Maple-worm: a, larva; 
6, pupa; c, moth. 

.and lay their eggs on the under sides of the maple 
leaves in clusters varying from forty to eighty each. 
The larva? hatch in a week or ten days, and feed 
upon the foliage, being gregarious at first, but grad- 
ually spreading as they grow older. In a few weeks 
they become fully developed as larvae, having 
moulted four times, when they descend to the 
ground, where, just beneath the soil surface, they 
change to dark-brown pupae (b). About a fortnight 
later they come forth as moths again. These moths, 
which usually appear during July or August, lay 
eggs for a second brood of larvae that develop during 
late summer or early autumn, and pass the winter 
as pupae, emerging as moths the following summer. 



142 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



The second brood of larvae are much more numer- 
ous, and consequently more destructive, than the first. 
Although maple forms the favorite food-plant of the 
insect, it is occasionally found upon oaks and a few 
other trees. The larvae are preyed upon by various 
insectivorous birds, and by several insect parasites. 

Remedies. — Spraying with London purple or 
Paris green early in the season, just after the worms 
hatch, is the most effective remedy for this insect. 

The Walnut Caterpillar. 

Datana angusii. 
The leaves of walnut and butternut trees are fre- 
quently eaten during summer by a large, blackish 
caterpillar. This is the larva of a good-sized moth 
that makes its appearance from the middle of June 
to the first of July, and deposits its eggs, seventy to 
a hundred in a place, on the under surface of the 




Fig. 71. Yellow-necked Apple-worm: a, larva; 6, moth; c, eggs — 
all natural size ; d, egg, magnified. 

leaves. In a short time the larvae hatch, and begin 
feeding upon the foliage. They increase rapidly in 
size, and in a few weeks attract attention on account 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 143 

of the defoliated twigs where they have been at work. 
They are gregarious in habit, and at the times of 
moulting, or casting of the skin, they migrate in a 
body to the trunk of the tree, frequently descending 
nearly to its base, and, piling themselves one upon 
another, remain in a solid mass until the process is- 
completed. Then they crawl back to the twigs and 
begin feeding again. When fully grown as caterpil- 
lars, they go to the ground and change to the pupa 
state, just beneath the soil surface. Here they re- 
main until early the following summer, when they 
emerge as moths to lay eggs for another brood. 

A fair idea of the appearance of the Walnut Cat- 
erpillar and its moth may be obtained from Fig. 71, 
which represents a closely-related insect — the Yellow- 
necked Apple-tree Caterpillar. When at rest or 
alarmed the larvae assume the peculiar position rep- 
resented at a. These caterpillars are preyed upon by 
certain birds, notably the Blue Jay and Red-headed 
Woodpecker, and by various species of insect parasites. 

Remedies. — These defoliators may be destroyed 
by spraying their food plants with Paris green or 
London purple, or the larvae may be crushed when 
gathered into heaps on the trunk at moulting time. 

The Woolly Maple Bark-louse. 

Pulvinaria innumerabilis. 
The presence of this insect is manifested in the 
spring and early summer by the occurrence upon 
the twigs of maple trees, especially on the under side, 
9 



144 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



■of a brown, circular, leathery scale, about one-quarter 
of an inch in diameter, beneath which is a peculiar, 
fluffy, cottony mass (Fig. 72, a). In the spring there 
may be found in each of these masses, great numbers 
{from 700 to 1,000) of small, white, spherical eggs. 
Early in summer these eggs hatch into young lice, 
which scatter over the trees, wandering about on the 
twigs and leaves for a few days, and, finally, fixing 
themselves upon the lower leaf surface, insert their 
tiny beaks and suck out the sap. They remain in 




Fig. 72. Maple Bark-louse : a, cottony scales on twigs ; 

b, back view of scale, magnified ; c, ventral 

view of scale, more magnified. 

this position several weeks, when a few of them be- 
•come fully developed winged males. These mate 
with the remainder, which are females, and soon die. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 145 

But the females remain upon the leaves until nearly 
time for them to fall in autumn, when they desert 
them and migrate to the twigs, attaching themselves 
by inserting their beaks into the bark. Here they 
remain until the following season, the eggs grad- 
ually developing and being deposited during spring. 
These insects sometimes do great damage to maple 
trees. They excrete or secrete a peculiar liquid 
which falls upon the leaves, and the ground beneath 
the trees, which is sometimes called 'honey dew.' 
There are a large number of parasitic and predace- 
ous insects that prey upon this species, and suppress 
its periodical uprisings. 

Remedies. — In cities where a stream of water 
from hose connected with water-works is available, 
the trees can be largely cleared of the pests by re- 
peated drenchings. In the spring before the eggs 
hatch, and also while the young lice are crawling 
over the tree, soon after hatching, is the best time for 
this work. The young lice may also be easily de- 
stroyed by spraying with kerosene emulsion. This 
should be done in June, soon after they hatch. 

The Box-elder Bug. 

Leptocoris trivittatus. 
In the region west of the Missouri river this insect 
is extremely abundant, causing serious injury to the 
Box-elder, and occasionally, also, to ash, maple, and 
other trees. The adult (Fig. 73) is a dull black bug- 
about half an inch long, having blood red ocelli, and 



146 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



various red markings oil the wings and body. " Dur- 
ing the winter," according to Professor E. A. Popenoe, 
who has studied the insect carefully, " the adults are 
hidden in sheltered nooks and corners everywhere, 
but are especially abundant in crevices of stone walls 
and angles of stone buildings, on the south sides of 
which they appear, singly and in clusters, every 
warm day during the season. As soon as the in- 
creasing warmth of spring allows, they leave these 
shelters and seek the trees attacked by them. The 
eggs are laid in creases of the bark, 
on the trunk and twigs. After mid- 
summer their gregarious tendency is 
manifested in the flocking of bugs of 
all sizes and in great numbers, in 
lines up and down the trunks and 
branches, the company including 
larvse of all sizes, pupae, and fully 
matured individuals. This habit 
persists more or less completely until 
October and November, or until the 
During the warm days of Indian 
bugs fly everywhere, flocking to 
the warm sides of the buildings, and entering 
houses, where, though otherwise harmless, they be- 
come troublesome through their abundance, and 
propensity to fall clumsily into pails of water, crocks 
of milk, and other articles of food left uncovered." 
This insect, like all true bugs, is active during its 
entire existence^ and gets its food by sucking sap 




Fig. 73. Box-elder 
Bug. Magnified 

trees are bare 
summer the 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 



147 



through a sharp-pointed beak which is inserted into 
the bark of the succulent twigs, and also into the 
leaves. It has comparatively few natural enemies. 
Remedies. — These bugs may easily be destroyed 
when gathered in clusters on trees or walls by pour- 
ing boiling water, gasoline or kerosene upon them. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 

The Spotted Willow-twig Aphis. 

Melanoxanthus salicis. 
The various species of willow are particularly sub- 
ject to the attacks of aphides or plant lice. No less 

than nine of these insects 
have been described as 
preying upon them. No 
part of the tree, except, 
possibly, the root, is ex- 
empt from attack, and the 
bark and twigs receive the 
exclusive attention of at 
least five species. Some of 
these often become seri- 
ously injurious, and more 
frequently, perhaps, their 
presence is extremely an- 
noying where they occur 
upon shade or ornamental trees in private grounds 
or public parks. 

The aphides most commonly found upon willow 
twigs belong to the genus Melanoxanthus. Three 




Fig. 74. Spotted Aphis : oviparous 
female. Magnified. 



148 INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 

American species of the genus are known. The 
Willow-grove Aphis (M. salicti ) is probably the com- 
monest in the eastern and middle states. It is very 
similar in appearance and habits to the nearly re- 
lated Spotted Willow-twig Aphis, represented at Figs. 
74 to 76. This insect lives over in the egg state on 
the bark of willow twigs. Early in spring the eggs 
hatch into young plant-lice which insert their tiny 
beaks into the tender bark and suck out the sap. 
They grow rapidly, and each one soon becomes the 




Fig. 75. Spotted Aphis : winged male. Magnified. 

mother of several young aphides. The generation 
from the egg are all wingless, but those of the second 
generation probably develop into both winged and 
wingless forms, which are also viviparous. Succes- 
sive broods continue to appear throughout the entire 
summer, all being viviparous, and some having 
wings while others have none. By midsummer they 
have often increased so enormously as to cover all 
the twigs of infested trees, making them appear 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 



149 



filthy and unsightly, as well as impairing their 
vitality by extracting the sap. A single one of the 
aphides hatched from the egg in spring may become 
the ancestor of many millions before autumn. But 
in October a true sexed generation develops, the 
males being winged and the females wingless. By 
the union of these two the true eggs are obtained. 
The wingless forms, whether viviparous or ovipa- 
rous, do not differ materially in appearance. The 
oviparous, or egg-laying, form is represented at Fig. 
74 : it is about one-fifth of an inch long, bluish- 
black in color, with a glaucous bloom. It has a 
distinct white longitudinal line along the middle of 




Fig. 76. Spotted Aphis : a, egg, magnified ; 6, oviparous females 
depositing eggs. 

the .back, and a row of white spots along each side. 
The cornicles, or honey-tubes, are bright orange yel- 
low. The male (Fig. 75) is one-fifth of an inch long, 
with a wing expanse of one-third of an inch. The 



150 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



body is bluish-black, with the wings transparent and 
their veins yellowish-brown. 

The oviparous females congregate for the purpose 
of depositing their eggs in one or a few places on the 
tree, where they cover the bark with them (Fig. 76). 
The egg (a) is about one-twentieth of an inch long 
and oval in form ; when first laid it is covered with 
a liquid which on exposure to the air dries into a 
thin, grayish, irregular covering, suggestive of felt. 

Remedies. — Spray with kerosene emulsion; cut 
off and burn the limbs on which the eggs are laid. 

The Toothed Willow Aphis. 

Lachnus dentatus. 
This is the largest of the aphides affecting the 
willow, being in fact one of the largest known species 





Fig. 77. Toothed Willow Aphis, viviparous female: a, side view; 6, hack view. Magnified 

of this family. The wingless forms are one-fourth 
of an inch long. Its life-history is much like that of 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 



151 



the Spotted Willow Aphis described above, except 
that it prefers the trunk and larger limbs to the 
twigs. The sexed individuals appear in autumn, 
and the eggs are probably laid upon the bark. The 
species is characterized by a large tooth-like tubercle 
•on the middle of the back of the abdomen (Fig. 77). 
Remedies. — A strong kerosene emulsion sprayed 
upon the bark will destroy these creatures. 

The White Pine Aphis. 

Lachnus strobi. 

This insect is a widely distributed species, and on 
account of its egg-laying habits it is liable to be in- 
troduced everywhere with pine trees from nurseries. 
It frequently becomes so numerous as to do serious 
injury to White Pines in ornamental grounds. 

Like most plant-lice, this species reproduces vivi- 
parous^, or by giving birth to living young, during 
the summer, but on the ap- 
proach of cold weather the 
sexual individuals are pro- 
duced. During October these 
are usually the only forms 
present, the oviparous f e - 
males being congregated in J 
great numbers upon the bark 
of the smaller branches, with 
their heads nearly always 
directed towards the trunk 
of the tree. When disturbed 

, i i , -I, Fig. 78. White Pine Aphis : 

the} 7 move aDOUt rapidly, oviparous female. Magnified. 




152 



INSECTS AFFECTING SHADE TREES. 



usually attempting to conceal themselves on the other 
side of the branch. At such times they also have a 
curious habit of waving their long hind-legs in the 
air, probably for the purpose of frightening away 
predaceous or parasitic enemies. 




Fig. 79. White Pine Aphis : winged male. Magnified. 

The oviparous female is represented, much mag- 
nified, at Fig. 78. It is nearly one-fifth of an inch 
long, shining black, more or less tinged with brown, 
and ornamented with spots and stripes of white. 
The wingless viviparous females do not differ essen- 
tially from this form. The winged male (Fig. 79) 
is about one eighth of an inch long, with a wing ex- 
panse of a quarter of an inch. It is blackish, with 
a slight glaucous bloom, and a whitish longitudinal 
line along the middle of the back. The wings are 
subhyaline, with the veins dark-brown, and the 
stigma almost black. The antennae and legs are 
quite hairy. 



INJURING THE BRANCHES. 



153 



The eggs are deposited during October and No- 
vember, on the leaflets, in rows, as represented at 
Fig. 80. Each egg is not quite one-tenth of an inch 




Fig. 80. White Pine Aphis: a, eggs on pine leaf, natural size ; 
6, single egg, magnified. 

long, elongate-oval, brownish when first laid, but 
becoming black in a short time. 

Remedies. — Kerosene emulsion is the most effec- 
tive insecticide with which to combat this insect. It 
should be sprayed upon the infested trees early in 
the season, before the aphides become too abundant. 
The best time to apply it would be just after the 
young lice hatch from the eggs ; they are then very 
tender and easily killed. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE ROSE. 

INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Rose Slug. 

Selandria rosse. 

This insect is familiar to most lovers of the queen 
■of flowers, and is justly dreaded on account of its 
serious injuries. But no one should allow it to pre- 
vent the planting and enjoyment of roses, for it is 
easy to keep the pest in check. 

The Rose Slug is the young or larva of a four- 
winged saw-fly, related to the parent of the Pear-tree 
Slug and the Imported Currant Worm. It bears a 
general resemblance to the fly shown at Fig. 81, 
which represents the adult of the Pear-tree Slug. 
'The Tarvse shown in the figure will also serve to 
illustrate the appearance and mode of work of the 
Rose Slug. According to Dr. Harris, the parent 
saw-flies, in the latitude of Massachusetts, " come out 
the ground at various times between the 20th of 
May and the middle of June, during which season 
they pair and lay their eggs. The females when 
about to lay their eggs turn a little to one side, 
unsheath their saws, and thrust them obliquely into 
the skin of the leaf, depositing in each incision thus 
made, a single egg. The young begin to hatch in 
ten days or a fortnight after the eggs are laid. The 
period of their existence in the caterpillar state prob- 
ably does not exceed three weeks. They have a 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 15 5> 

small, round, yellowish head, with a black dot on 
each side of it, and are provided with twenty -two 
short legs. The body is green above, paler at the 
sides, and is soft and almost transparent, like jelly. 
The skin of the back is transversely wrinkled, and 
covered with minute elevated points ; and there are 




81. Pear-tree Slug : fly and larvae. 



two small, triple-pointed warts on the edge of the 
first ring, immediately behind the head. These gel- 
atinous and sluggish creatures eat the upper surface 
of the leaf in large, irregular patches, leaving the 
veins and skin beneath untouched ; and they are 
sometimes so thick that not a leaf on the bushes is 
spared by them, and the whole foliage looks as if it 
had been scorched by fire and drops off soon after- 
wards. They cast their skins several times, leaving 
them extended and fastened to the leaves ; and after 
the last moulting they lose their semi-transparent 
and greenish, color, and acquire an opaque, yellowish 
hue. They then leave the bushes, and burrow an 
inch or more in the earth, where each one makes for 
itself a small, oval cell of grains of earth, cemented 
with a little gummy silk." They remain in these 
pupa cells until the following season, when they 
emerge as flies. 



156 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE ROSE. 



Remedies. — In cities where a stream of water 
from a sprinkling hose is always available, the simp- 
lest plan of keeping these pests away is to spray the 
bushes forcibly every day or two, to frighten away 
the flies and wash off the larvae. If this process is gone 
through with sufficient force and thoroughness, it is 
the neatest and best remedy. The slugs also may be 
easily killed by spraying or dusting the infested 
bushes with hellebore' or insect powder. 



The Rose Leaf-hopper. 

Typhlocyba rosse. 

Owners of rose bushes are frequently annoyed by 
finding the lower sides of the leaves covered with a 
small white insect that sucks 
out the cell contents and 
gives the upper surfaces a 
peculiar white - spotted ap- 
pearance (Fig. 82). This is 
the Rose Leaf-hopper, a spe- 
cies that has been known to 
injure these lovely ornamen- 
tal plants for nearly a cen- 
tury. The adult, shown con- 
siderably magnified at Fig. 

Fig. 82. Rose leaf injured toy . 

leaf-hoppers. 83, a, is a little more than one- 

tenth of an inch long, with a yellowish-white body, 
and white, semi-transparent wing-covers. In com- 
mon with other leaf-hOppers this insect has long 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 



157 



hind legs, by means of which it is enabled to make 
tremendously long leaps when disturbed. The fully 
grown nymph (b) is 
also whitish, and its 
back is well protected 
by numerous long 
spinous hairs. There 
. are said to be several 
broods each season 
Remedies. — These 
.little pests are much 
easier to destroy be- 
fore they are fully 
developed than afterwards. Spraying or dusting the 
infested plants with pyrethrum, or insect powder, 
is a simple and efficient remedy. Tobacco, in the 
form either of a powder or a decoction, is also good ; 
and kerosene emulsion will destroy the pests. 




Fig. S3. Eose Leaf-hopper : a, adult ; 
b, pupa. Magnified. 




INSECTS AFFECTING FLOWERS IN THE WIN- 
DOW-GARDEN AND GREEN-HOUSE. 

INJURING THE LEAVES. 

Plant-lice or Aphides. 

There are many different species of aphides, plant- 
lice, or "green flies," affecting the various flowering 
plants. But all are quite similar in life-history and 
habits, and the same remedies apply to each. They 
all multiply with marvellous rapidity on account of 

their habit of giv- 
ing birth to living 
young without the 
presence of male 
aphides. They 
mature ' rapidly,- 
and obtain food 
by inserting their 
pointed beaks into^ 
the stem or leaf,, 
and sucking out the sap. There are generally two 
forms of them, one being winged (Fig. 83, b, c) and 
the other wingless (a). ■ These insects are the com- 
monest pests of flowering plants. 

Remedies. — Tobacco is the great specific for these- 
insects. It may be used in various forms, but gener- 
ally the most satisfactory form is that of the refuse- 




...,*r- • &> 
Fig. 83. Aphis : a, wingless form, magnified ; 
6, winged form, magnified; c, same, 
natural size. 



INJURING THE LEAVES.. 159^ 

powder of the cigar factories. This should be used' 
freely as a mulch for low-growing plants, such as the 
daisy ; and if blown upon infested plants, having first 
sprayed them with water, by means of a powder- 
bellows or Leggett's powder-gun, it will clear them 
readily. In green-houses tobacco steins are com- 
monly used to smoke the plants. A few live coals 
are put upon a shovel, or into a metal bucket, and 
refuse tobacco stems are laid upon them. The house 
is then tightly closed and the smoke allowed to re- 
main several hours. The greatest objection to this 
method is that tender plants are liable to be seriously- 
injured by an over-dose of the smoke. The tobacco 
may also be used in the form of a decoction, made 
by pouring hot water on the stems, allowing it to 
cool, and then drawing off the liquid. This may be 
sprayed upon the plants, or, where not too large, the 
plants may be dipped into the liquid. For window- 
gardens this is perhaps as satisfactory a method as 
can be suggested. 

The Red Spider. 

Tetranychus telarius. 
Green-house plants are often seriously injured by 
multitudes of very minute reddish mites that con- 
gregate on the lower leaf surface, spinning a very 
fine protective web, and sucking out the juices of the 
plants through their infinitesimal beaks. These 
little creatures are commonly called Red Spiders. 
They are distantly related to ordinary spiders, and 

10 



160 INSECTS AFFECTING FLOWERS. 

like them have, when fully developed, four pairs of 
legs. They multiply beneath their silken webs, 
where one may find colonies of individuals (so small 
as to be scarcely visible to the naked eye) in all 
stages of existence. The young have but three pairs 
of legs. The egg is very small and spherical, being 
nearly colorless. The infested leaves assume a yel- 
lowish hue, and many of them finally drop off. 

Remedies. — The Red Spider flourishes best in a 
•dry atmosphere. It is seldom troublesome in green- 
houses where the air is kept saturated with moisture 
and the plants are sprayed with water every day. 
In window-gardens the plants should be sprayed 
with soap suds, tobacco decoction or kerosene emul- 
sion, or dusted with fine tobacco powder, as soon as 
they show signs of the presence of this pest. 

Mealy-bugs and Scale-lice. 

Mealy-bugs are among the commonest and most 
vexatious green-house pests. They occur upon a 
great variety of plants, and reproduce freely through- 
out the year. There are two or three species com- 
monly found in this country, the most destructive, 
perhaps, being the species called by entomologists 
Dadylo2nus adonidum, which is distinguished by two 
long, white, cottony threads extending backward 
from the last segment of the abdomen. Another 
-common species is called Dactylopius destructor. 

Mealy Bugs derive their oommon name from a 
peculiar yellowish-white substance, resembling flour 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 161 

or meal, which they throw out from numerous minute 
pores along the sides of their bodies. This serves 
both as a protection from enemies, and also as a place 
of concealment for the eggs of the insects. 

Woody green-house plants, such as the Oleander, 
Orange, Abutilon, etc., are also often infested with 
scale insects that occur upon the stems, sucking out 
the sap and so absorbing the vitality of the plants. 
These belong to the same family of insects as the 
mealy-bugs, to which they bear a general resem- 
blance in life-histor}^ and habits. 

Remedies. — When a plant is once badly infested 
with either of these pests it can be cleared only by 
thorough and careful work. As many should be 
rubbed or brushed off by hand as possible, and then 
the plant may be sprayed with kerosene emulsion, 
which, however, should be used with caution on the 
more tender varieties of greenhouse plants. It is 
not necessary to treat the whole plant, but only the 
parts infested by the insect. In case only a few 
mealy-bugs are present they may be killed by dip- 
ping a small brush in alcohol and then saturating 
the colonies of the insect with it. Or the affected 
part of the plant may be washed with a forcible 
.stream of water till all signs of the insects or their 
eggs are removed. Professor Comstock reports an 
experiment in which equal parts of smoking tobacco 
and flowers of sulphur were ground together in a 
mortar until thoroughly mixed, and the compound 
thus formed was dusted over wet infested plants, and 
the mealy bugs destroyed. 



162 



INSECTS AFFECTING FLOWERS. 



Out of doors, and to a certain extent in the green- 
house also, these mealy bugs and scale insects have 
various natural enemies to contend with. Chief 
among these are the little lady bugs (a common spe- 
cies of which is represented, much magnified, in the 
cut below), and certain parasitic flies. 




PART IV. 



INSECTS AFFECTING VEGETABLES. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE TOMATO. 

INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Tomato Worm. 

Phlegethontius celeus. 
This insect in its larval state is familiar to every 
one who has owned a garden. The moths, which 
belong to the handsome Sphinx family, appear early 
in summer, and fly about just at dusk, sipping the 
nectar from various flowers through their long 
tongues or sucking tubes. Their general appearance 
is well illustrated at Plate V. The ground color of 
the body and wings is gray, and there are various 
dots and stripes of different shades. On each side of 
the abdomen are five orange-colored spots. The 
female moths lay the eggs in the evening on tomato 
plants, where they soon hatch into green worms that 
feed voraciously on the foliage. These caterpillars 
grow rapidly, and in a few weeks become three inches 
long and nearly as thick as a man's finger. They 
are light green, with several oblique, whitish stripes 
along each side of the body : sometimes brown 
specimens are found. Early in September, in the 
Northern States, these caterpillars complete their 
larval growth, and burrow into the ground some 
distance, where they form oval cells in the soil, shed 
their larval skins, and change to pupse. The pupa 



166 INSECTS AFFECTING THE TOMATO. 

or chrysalis (Fig. 85) is of chestnut-brown color, with 
a long and slender tongue case bent over like the 
handle of a jug. They remain in this state until 
the following summer, when they come forth as 




am 

Fig. 85. Pupa of Tomato Worm. 

moths. Besides the leaves, the caterpillars often feed 
upon the green fruit of the tomato, as well as upon 
the foliage of the potato and tobacco. 

There is another species similar to this one, and. 
often confounded with it. The life-history and 
habits of the two are much alike. The moth of the 
other one is called the Carolina Sphinx (Phlegethon- 
tius Carolina). In the Southern States, and even as 
far north as central Ohio, there are two broods each 
season. 

The Tomato Worm is subject to the attacks of a 
small, four-winged, black fly that deposits eggs be- 
neath its skin along the back. The eggs hatch into 
little maggots that absorb the body juices of the 
worm, developing at its expense, and finally coming 
out upon its back, where they spin white, silken 
cocoons (Fig. 86), within which they change to pupse. 
Shortly afterward they again change to flies that 
gnaw out of the cocoons and fly away to continue 
the work of destruction. The caterpillar lingers 
awhile in a half dead condition, and finally dies. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



167 



Remedies. — Hand-picking the worms is the most 
effective remedy for garden patches. Their depre- 
dations are so conspicuous that -it is generally easy to 
find them. The moths may be destroyed (and conse- 
quently the deposition of eggs prevented) by smear- 
ing flat boards in various parts of the field with 




Fig, 86. Tomato Worm with cocoons of parasite. 

molasses mixed with stale beer, to which a little fly 
poison has been added. The boards should be a foot 
or two from the ground. Another method which is 
especially recommended for killing the moths in 
tobacco fields, is to plant at occasional intervals in the 
field seed of Jamestown Weed (Datura stramonium) 
about the time the tobacco is put out. These will 
come in blossom when the moths appear. If a little 
fly poison, mixed with sweetened water and whisky, 
be poured in the long blossoms each evening, the 
moths that sip the liquid will be killed. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE POTATO. 

INJURING THE STEM. 

The Potato Stalk- weevil. 

Trichobaris trinotata. 

Potato stems are sometimes infested by a whitish 
or yellowish-white, footless grub, about a quarter of 
an inch long, which burrows in the heart of the 
stalk, especially near the ground, and causes the 
plant to wilt and die. This is the larva of a small, 
grayish snout-beetle, called the Potato Stalk-weevil, 
the females of which deposit their eggs, singly, in a 
slit made for the purpose in the stem, slightly above 
the soil surface. In a few days the egg hatches into 
a little grub that burrows down the center of the 
stem toward the root. A few weeks later, still 
within the stalk and slightly below the surface of the 
ground, the larva pupates, and late in summer or 
early in autumn it emerges as an adult weevil. This 
weevil 'passes the winter under whatever protective 
covering it may find, and the following season starts 
another generation by depositing its eggs in the 
potato stalks. 

The injuries of this insect are sometimes quite 
severe. In Iowa, during the season of 1890, Profes- 
sor C. P. Gillette estimated that 75 per cent, of the 
potato plants were infested by it. It is a widely dis- 
tributed species. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 169 

Remedies. — According to Professor Gillette, " the 
•only remedy at present known is to pull the vines 
as soon as they are found wilting and burn them. 
If the tops are left until it is time to dig the potatoes 
many of the beetles will have matured and escaped, 
and these will live over winter and lay eggs for an- 
other brood." But even late pulling and burning 
will destroy many of the pests, and in regions where 
"this insect is known to be at work, the vines should 
be burned when pulled up in harvesting the crop. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Colorado Potato-beetle. 

Doryphora decemlineata. 

This insect originally lived upon a wild variety of 
•Solanum (the genus to which the cultivated potato 
belongs) in the West, near the base of the Rocky 
Mountains. It was not known as an injurious spe- 
cies until about 1860, when it attacked potatoes in 
the gardens of settlers in Kansas and neighboring 
states, and thereafter gradually spread eastward 
until it finally reached the Atlantic coast, and was 
carried across to Europe, becoming extremely destruc- 
tive wherever it apjDeared. 

The adult Colorado Potato-beetle (Fig. 87, d) is 
too familiar to American gardeners to need descrip- 
tion here. Its orange-colored eggs (a) are deposited 
in masses, varying in number from a dozen to fifty 



170 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE POTATO. 



or more, on the under surface of the potato leaf, and 
occasionally also upon the leaves of grass, smart- 
weed, or other plants in the potato field. They 
hatch about a week later into peculiar little grubs; 
(b) that feed upon the foliage a few weeks. They 




Fig. 87. Colorado Potato-beetle : a, a, eggs; 6, 6, larvae; c, pupa; d, d, bee- 
tles ; e, wing of beetle, magnified. 

then descend to the ground, where just beneath the 
soil surface, or under rubbish above it, they change 
to pupa? (c). About ten days later they emerge as 
perfect beetles. There are from two to four annual 
broods, the number varying with the latitude ; and 
the insect hibernates in the beetle state. 

Like most other insects, the Colorado Potato-beetle 
fluctuates greatly in numbers and destructiveness. 
In any given locality it will be very destructive for 
a period of years, and then there may be several 
seasons when its injuries will hardly be noticed. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 171 

This oscillation is probably due to the various 
natural enemies of the insect. 

Remedies. — The standard remedy for this pest is 
that of spraying or dusting with some form of arsenic,, 
such as London purple, Paris green, Slug Shot, Per- 
oxide of Silicates, etc. All of these take effect both 
upon the larvse and beetles. London purple or Paris 
green may be dusted or sprayed on with a perforated 
can or a powder-gun, or spraying machine. If used 
as a powder, the poison may w^ll be diluted with 
several times its bulk of plaster, finely sifted ashes, 
or flour. In spraying use six or seven ounces of 
London purple or Paris green to fifty gallons of 
water. For this purpose London purple seems prefer- 
able on account of its cheapness and finely powdered 
condition. The application should be made as soon 
as the beetles appear, in order to kill off the first 
brood, and it must be repeated as often during the 
season as is necessary to keep the pests in check. 
By many growers hand-picking of the beetles and 
eggs, especially early in the season, is resorted to in- 
stead of the use of poisons. This method is effective 
if thoroughly carried out. 

The Striped Blister-beetle. 

Epicauta vittata. 
This insect is sometimes called the Old-fashioned 
Potato-beetle, because it was known as " The Potato- 
beetle " before the introduction of the more modern, 
as well as more destructive, Colorado species. It is 




172 INSECTS AFFECTING THE POTATO. 

& foe to the farmer only in its adult condition, for as 
a. larva it feeds upon the eggs of various grasshop- 
pers, forming one of the most efficient natural checks 
uj)on the increase of these pests. The adult blister- 
beetle (Fig. 88) is a slender-bodied", rather long- 
legged insect, measuring from one-half to three- 
fourths of an inch in length, with alternate stripes 
- fc of black and yellowish-brown upon the 
back. It feeds voraciously on the leaves 
of potatoes and various other vegetables. 
These beetles are generally gregarious, 
feeding in good-sized flocks, and when 
disturbed take to flight readily. The fe- 
lig _ males deposit their small eggs in masses 
ter-beetie. f & hundred or more, in the soil just be- 
low the surface. In about ten days the eggs hatch 
into curious little larvse that burrow through the 
earth in search of the eggs of grasshoppers. A large 
proportion of them probably perish because they can 
find none, but those that are successful feed upon the 
eggs and go through a curious series of changes, 
which have been admirably described by Dr. Riley, 
finally going into the pupa state and emerging later 
on as beetles. In the South there are apparently 
two broods each season. On account of the depend- 
ence of the larvse upon grasshopper eggs, the beetles 
are much more likely to be destructively numerous 
during seasons following those in which grasshoppers 
have been abundant. 

There are several other species of blister-beetles 
with habits similar to this one, that are frequently 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 173 

found upon potatoes. The commonest is probably 
the Black Blister-beetle (Epicauta pennsylvanica). 

Remedies. — It is sometimes stated that these in- 
sects are not destroyed by eating Paris green, but 
this is doubtless a mistake. The application of this 
substance, however, seems often to be of no avail, 
probably either because it does not act immediately 
upon the beetles, or else because they continue to in- 
vade the field from the outside. A few years ago a 
favorite method of destroying them was to drive the 
flocks of beetles upon loose hay or straw spread upon 
the ground near where they are at work, and then 
burn the hay, lighting it at several different places,, 
so that it will burn rapidly. Hand picking can 
often be resorted to advantageously It is doubtful 
policy, however, to destroy these insects except 
when they threaten to do serious damage, because of 
the grasshopper-egg feeding habits of the larvae. 



The Imbricated Snout-beetle. 

Epicserus imbricatus. 

This is a small beetle about half an inch long, 
silvery white in general color, with various darker 
markings upon its back, of the form represented at 
Fig. 89. It feeds upon a great variety of vegetation, 
from the twigs and fruit of apple, cherry and goose- 
berry to the leaves and stems of onion, radish, melon, 
beans, beets, corn and potato. It often does very 



174 INSECTS AFFECTING THE POTATO. 

serious injury in the vegetable garden, but notwith- 
standing its commonness and destruct- 
iveness, its life-history as yet has not 
been traced. Professor Forbes has found 
the eggs deposited between pear leaves 
fastened together, and Dr. Riley has 
conjectured that the larva? will be found 
to feed externally on the roots of one or 

Fig. 89. imbrica- more of the food-plants of the beetle. 

ted Snout- bee- . 

tie. Magnified. When alarmed the beetles feign death, 
resembling in this respect the Plum Curculio, and 
fall to the ground. 

Remedies. — When these insects infest plants to 
which Paris green or London purple can safely be 
applied, the potato for example, they may easily be 
-destroyed by such applications. 





INSECTS AFFECTING CELERY, PARSNIP AND 
CARROT. 

INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Celery Caterpillar. 

Papilio asterias. 
The life-history of this insect has been discussed 
at some length in the Introduction (pages 9-11) in 
connection with Plate I, where its different stages are 
illustrated. The larva? are handsome and quite con- 
spicuous, and feed upon the foliage of the various 
members of the parsley family, including the carrot, 
celery, parsnip, etc., sometimes doing considerable 
injury when left unmolested. The caterpillars often 
become the victims of certain parasitic insects, but it 
is said that neither birds nor domestic fowls will eat 
them, probably because of the disagreeable odor 
emitted from the peculiar yellow horns situated on 
the body, just behind the head. The adult butterfly 
is one of the most beautiful as well as one of the 
•commonest of its family. 

Remedies. — When young these caterpillars may 
.be destroyed by dusting them with insect powder or 
buhach. Ordinarily, however, they are not so abun- 
dant but that a little hand-picking will readily hold 
them in check. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE SQUASH, MELON 
AND CUCUMBER. 

INJURING THE ROOT. 

The Squash- vine Borer. 

Aegeria cucurbitse. 
The roots and stems of cucurbitaceous plants are 
frequently infested with a whitish larva that feeds 
upon their inner substance, often doing so serious a 
damage as to cause the plant to wilt and die. The 
parent of this Squash -vine Borer is one of the Aege- 
rian moths, several kinds of which are represented 
at Plate II (p. 28). 
It is a handsome 
insect (Fig. 90), 
about half an 
inch long, with & y ^ 

an orange-COlored Fig. 90. Squash Vine-borer : larva and moth. 

body ornamented by several black spots upon the 
back, and having olive-brown front wings and trans- 
parent hind ones. Eggs are deposited by this moth 
upon the stems of the young plants near the roots,, 
and the larvae resulting burrow into the center and 
feed upon the succulent interior. They remain here 
several weeks, gradually increasing in size. Toward 
the end of summer they become full grown (Fig. 90), 
when they measure about an inch in length, and are 
whitish with brown heads. They now leave the- 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 177 

stem or root and form cocoons in the earth by fasten- 
ing particles of soil together with their gummy silk. 
They then change to pupae, and remain thus until 
the following season, when they emerge as moths. 

Remedies. — The remedy most generally recom- 
mended is that of cutting out the borers with a sharp 
knife as soon as their presence is suspected. It is 
well to cover over sections of the stems at different 
places to induce them to take root at various joints, . 
so that if the main root is injured the plant can 
continue to grow from these additional roots. It 
is claimed by some that the injuries of the insect 
can be prevented by occasionally sprinkling, or 
dusting, the stems near the base, with Paris green.. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Cucumber Flea-beetle. 

Crepidodera cucwneris. 
This is a small, blackish, punctate beetle (Fig. 91), 
about one-sixteenth of an inch long, with yellowish 
antennae and legs, that appears early in 
spring, and as soon as the squash or cu- 
cumber plants are up, attacks them, eat- 
ing off small, round patches of paren- 
chyma from the upper surface of the 
leaves. Like all flea-beetles, they- are 
quite active, hopping readily when dis- 
turbed. The larvae are said to mine the leaves.. 
11 




178 INSECTS AFFECTING THE SQUASH. 

The insect does not confine itself to squashes and 
cucumbers, but feeds upon a great variety of other 
plants. 

Remedies. — Powdered tobacco has been found to 
be the best preventive of the injuries of flea-beetles. 
When used against the Striped Cucumber-beetle, it 
will take effect upon the present pest as well. 

The Squash Bug. 

Anasa tristis. 
The Squash Bug is too familiar to gardeners to 
need a detailed description here. It is a rusty-black, 
flattened bug, about half an inch long, with the 
under side ochre-yellow, and has a very repulsive 
•' buggy ' odor. This insect winters over as an adult, 
beneath boards, logs, leaves, or other protective cov- 
ering, and appears in the squash patch late in spring 
or early in summer. The females then deposit their 
brownish-yellow, spherical eggs on the under sides 
of the leaves in patches varying from three or four 
to a score or more. In a few days the young bugs, 
or nymphs, hatch, and insert their pointed beaks 
into the leaf and suck out the sap. At first they are 
more or less gregarious, the bugs from a single lot of 
eggs feeding together, but as they grow older they 
gradually disperse over the plants, casting their skins 
occasionally during their development. Like all 
true bugs, the transformations of this species are in- 
complete. The young bear a general resemblance 
to the adults, and the insect remains active in the 
stage corresponding to that of the pupa. Leaves 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



179 



attacked by the bugs become sickly and yellow, and 
if the pests are numerous the whole plant may 
finally be killed. 

Remedies. — Hand-picking appears to be the most 
practicable remedy that has yet been tried. This 
should be done during the cooler hours of the day, 
when the bugs are sluggish. The young may also- 
be destroyed by spraying with kerosene emulsion. 
Professor Cook reports good success in placing pieces 
of boards among the plants, under which the bugs 
collect at night, and where they may easily be found 
and destroyed. 

The Striped Cucumber Beetle. 

Diabrotica vittata. 
This is the small, yellow beetle (Fig. 92, b) with 
black stripes on its back that so commonly attacks 
squashes, cucumbers, melons, and other cucurbitace- 

ous plants, soon after 
they come up in the 
spring. It feeds up- 
on the leaves and 
stems, and in many 
parts of the countiy 
is so destructive 
that these plants can 
not be grown unless 
preventive measures 
are taken to guard 
against its injuries. The female beetles deposit eggs 




Tig. 92. Cucumber Beetle : a, larva; b, beetle. 
Magnified. 



180 INSECTS AFFECTING THE SQUASH. 

in the soil about the stems of the plants, and the 
larvse resulting feed upon the roots. They reach 
maturity in a couple of months, having pupated 
within the soil. The larva? (Fig. 92, a) are whitish, 
cylindrical worms, not quite half an inch long, with 
three pairs of legs at the front of the body, and one 
pro-leg at the posterior extremity. The insect winters 
over in the beetle state, under leaves, logs, and rub- 
bish of various kinds. 

The beetles usually appear suddenly, often coming 
to the squash or melon field in great numbers within 
a few hours. Consequently a watch must be kept 
to prevent their doing damage before discovered. 

Remedies. — There are probably few injurious in- 
sects for which more remedies and preventives have 
been suggested than this. But a large proportion of 
these methods are worthless. Good success has been 
obtained by applying liberal quantities of refuse 
tobacco powder to the hills. A shovel-full thrown 
upon the hills has been found largely* to prevent the 
damage. The application should be repeated occa- 
sionally, when wind and rain have removed the 
powder from the plants. The tobacco acts not only 
as a repellent to the beetles, but also as a mulch and 
fertilizer to the plants. Similar, though less liberal, 
applications of phosphates, bone dust, and other 
commercial fertilizers, are also recommended by 
some authorities. 

For the kitchen garden the most satisfactory 
method is that of protecting the plants by some form 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



181 




of gauze netting. A simple method of doing this is 

illustrated at Fig. 93. The 

ends of half a barrel hoop 

are placed in the earth at 

the sides of the hill, and a 

square strip of thin plant 

cloth or cheese cloth is then 0&sSM 

laid Over it, the cloth being ~ Fig. 93. Vine Protector. 

drawn taut, and the edges covered with loose earth. 
This excludes the beetles, and at the same time per- 
mits access of air, moisture, and sunshine. Squash 
plants are able to grow until they get four or five 
leaves, and cucumbers and melons even more, before 
they are crippled by contact with the cloth. Wire 
may be substituted for the half barrel hoop. A single 
piece may be used, or two may be crossed like the 
center arch of a croquet ground, as represented at 

Fig. 94. Good results are 
also obtained by simply plac- 
ing the cloth over the plants 
without any support, and cov- 
ering the edges as described. 
By loosening the cloth occasionally, the plant will 
lift it, and get several leaves before it need be re- 
moved. A modification of this method, which has 
been successful^ used, consists of two end boards 
one-half inch thick, about fifteen inches long by six 
or eight inches wide. On the middle of each of 
these is nailed a piece of pointed lath at right angles 
to the long way of the board.* The lower end of 




Fie. 94. Vine Protector. 



182 INSECTS AFFECTING THE SQUASH. 

each lath projects below the edge of the board, and 
is stuck iii the ground a few inches. Before the lath 
are put on, the end pieces are connected with each 
other by a piece of plant cloth about 16 x 27 inches,, 
the ends being tacked to the top and sides of the 
boards. This protector has many advantages. It can 
be stored in very little space. When it is desired to> 
cultivate the hills, it is only necessary to pull up one 
end, stir the earth, and put the end back in position. 
Gauze covered wooden frames are sometimes 
recommended to prevent the injuries of this insect,, 
but they are objectionable because they exclude a 
great deal of air and sunshine, causing the plants to 
grow tall and slender, rather than short and stocky. 

The Twelve-spotted Cucumber Beetle. 

Diabrotica 12-pundata. 

This insect is similar in appear- 
ance and habits to the one treated 
of last, the adult (Fig. 95) having 
twelve black spots upon a yellow 
background, instead of being striped. 
The larva of this species bores the 
roots of corn and other plants. The re- 
Fig. 95. Tweive-spot- medial measures recommended above 

ted Beetle. Magni- -, ■■ -, ■■ , , , -, . , 

tied. apply equally well to this insect. 

Its life-history will be found more fully discussed 
on a later page, where it is treated of as the South- 
ern Corn Root-worm. 




INSECTS AFFECTING RHUBARB. 

INJURING THE STEM. 

The Rhubarb Curculio. 

Lixus concavus. 
Rhubarb stalks are frequently injured during 
spring and early summer by a grayish or brownish 
beetle that gnaws the sur- 
face (Fig. 96), and drills 
holes from which the gum- 
my sap exudes. This is ..,--- ^-"V- 
the Rhubarb Curculio, the \ v "* „ , -", Jt^ 
three later stages of which 



are represented at Fig. 97. Fig . 96 . RllubarD s t em injured by 
The larva is a wrinkled 

legless grub of the form represented at a : it is three- 
fourths of an inch long, white, with a brown head. 
The pupa (b) is whitish and a little over half an inch 
in length. The adult beetle, whose general form is 
represented at c, is frequently covered with a yellow- 
ish powder that gives it a distinct yellowish appear- 
ance. When this powder is rubbed off the beetle is 
grayish-brown. In the figure the straight lines in- 
dicate the natural size of the specimens. 

The insect hibernates as an adult, and comes forth 
in the spring to deposit its eggs in certain common 
species of dock, especially Curly Dock {Rwmex cris- 
pus). The eggs are probably laid preferably in the 



184 



INSECTS AFFECTING RHUBARB. 



young flower-stalk, but in the absence of these may- 
be deposited in the crown 
of the plant. The period 
of egg deposition is an ex- 
tended one, very young 
larvae occurring at the same 
time as pupae, and there 
being a difference of more 
than two months in the 
time of reaching maturity. 
The eggs probably hatch 
within a few days, and the 
larvae feed upon the sub- 
stance of the root or stem 
for several weeks. The 
eggs deposited early in the 
spring develop into beetles 
by the first of August, and the insects from the eggs 
deposited later continue to mature until October. 
Eggs are also often deposited in the rhubarb stalks, 
but they do not seem to be able to develop there. 
In some of the Western States the beetle is said 
to breed in wild sunflowers instead of the dock. 
Remedies. — Collecting the beetles by hand, and 
pulling up and burning dock plants early in sum- 
mer, are the most promising remedies yet suggested. 




Fig 97. Rhubarb Curculio: a, larva; 
6, pupa ; c, beetle. Slightly rnag- 
uifled. 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE BEAN AND PEA. 



INJURING THE SEED. 



The Bean Weevil. 

Bruchus obsoletus. 

One often finds beans with numbers of excavations 
in them, like those shown at Fig. 98, b. Such beans 
are affected, by the Bean "Weevil — an insect that is 
widely distributed over the United States, and often 
does very serious damage. 

The adult weevil is represented natural size in the 
upper middle portion of Fig. 98, and enlarged at a 
of the same figure. It is a 
small, brownish insect that 
very much resembles the 
nearly related Pea Weevil, 
to which it is also similar in 
life-history and habits. The 
female beetle deposits eggs 
on the growing bean pods, 
and the larvae, on hatching, gnaw through the pod 
to the young beans within. They enter these, feed- 
ing upon their substance, and remaining in them all 
summer, most of them pupating before autumn. A 
portion of them become adult beetles the same sea- 
son, while others do not complete their transforma- 
tions until the following spring. 




Fig. 98. Beau Weevil : a, beetle, 
magnified; &, infested bean. 



186 INSECTS AFFECTING THE BEAN. 

Remedies. — Beans infested by these pests should 
be inclosed in tight vessels, into which a little bisul- 
phide of carbon, benzine, or gasoline has been placed. 
The fumes of these volatile substances will destroy 
the beetles. Of course care must be taken that no 
particle of fire comes in the vicinity of the treatment.. 
Late planting of the crop has been found a good way 
to prevent injury by an extensive Illinois farmer 
living in the latitude of St. Louis, Missouri, who, for 
a number of years, has planted his field beans from 
June 20th to July 10th, with good results. If the 
beans, as soon as ripe, are heated to 145° Fahrenheit,, 
the partially grown larvse will be destroyed without 
injury to the germinating qualities of the seed.. 
This will prevent much of the damage that would 
be done were the larvae left to complete their growth. 

The Pea Weevil. 

Bruchus pisi. 
As already stated, this insect is very similar to the- 
Bean Weevil in life-history and habits. The adult 
beetle deposits its yellow eggs on the outside of the 
young pods early in summer. On hatching, a few 
days later, the larvse bore through the pods into the 
peas, which they enter and eat out the substance, 
leaving the radicle or germ untouched. On this 
account " buggy peas " will germinate, but as the 
young plants are deprived of the proper nourishment 
they make a less healthy growth than do those re- 
sulting from uninjured peas. When full grown the 



INJURING THE SEED. 



187 



larva eats a hole on one side of the pea, leaving only 
the thin, outer covering, before entering the pupa 
state. Some time afterwards the insect again changes 
to the perfect beetle, a portion of which emerge the 
same season, but most of them remain in the peas 
until the following spring. 

Remedies. — The measures mentioned as remedies- 
for the Bean Weevil are equally applicable to this 
pest. That of heating the peas to 145° Fahrenheit,. 
as soon as gathered, seems especially advisable in the 
case of the Pea Weevil, for at the time of ripening a 
large proportion of the weevil larvae are only par- 
tially grown. 




INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 

INJURING THE ROOTS. 

The Cabbage Maggot. 

Anthomyia brassicse. 

The Cabbage Maggot is one of the most vexatious 
enemies of the gardener. The adult (Fig. 99, c) is 
■a small, two-winged fly, somewhat like the common 




a 

Fig. 99. Cabbage Maggot : a, larva ; b, pupariurn ; c, fly. 

House-fly in general appearance, which appears in 
the cabbage field soon after the plants are set out, 
and deposits its eggs about the stems at the soil sur- 
face. The little, whitish maggots soon hatch, and 
work their way downward to the roots, which they 
attack, feeding upon the outer surface and thus 
making grooves, or boring into the interior and hol- 
lowing out cavities. They sometimes cause the roots 
.to thicken up and become malformed, producing an 



INJURING THE ROOT. 189 1 

effect similar to that of the fungus causing the dis- 
ease known as ' club-root.' In two or three weeks 
the maggots become full-fed (a), and they change to 
the pupa state within hard brown puparia (b), to- 
emerge some days afterward as adult flies. There 
are probably three or four broods each season, and 
the insect apparently hibernates in each of its three 
later stages. These insects infest turnips and ruta- 
bagas as well as cabbage, and some entomologists 
consider the Radish Maggot as being also of this 
species. 

Remedies. — Satisfactory remedies for this insect 
are few and far between. European writers recom- 
mend that coal dust be scattered around most of the 
plants, leaving one occasionally without the dressing 
to attract the flies to it for egg-deposition, and then 
destroying the unprotected plants together with the 
insects about their roots. Dr. Riley has suggested 
that ashes or slaked lime will probably answer the 
purpose as well as the coal dust. As some of the 
larvae or pupss appear to pass the winter upon the 
old roots, it is advisable to pull up and burn such 
plants in autumn. Probably the most practicable 
remedy is that of always putting new plantations of 
cabbages some distance from where they were grown 
the previous year. This has been found in practice 
to give good results. The flies are sluggish, and 
apparently do not scatter far from where they reach 
maturity. The maggots may be destroyed by pour- 
ing a small quantity of kerosene emulsion about the- 



190 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE 



infested roots. In some localities the growers search 
regularly about the bases of the stems for the 
bunches of whitish eggs, and claim it to be the 
best method of checking the injuries of the pest. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Imported Cabbage Worm. 

Pieris rapse. 
This insect was imported into America from Europe 
about 1857, since when it has become exceedingly 
destructive over a large portion of the United States 
and Canada. The adult is a common white butterfly, 
the female of which has two black spots upon each 
of the front wings (Fig. 100, c), while the male (Fig. 




Fig. 100. 



Imported Cabbage Worm: n, larva; 6, chrysalis; 
c, female butterfly. 



101) has but one. The former deposit, singly or in 
dusters of two or three each, small, fusiform, yellow- 
ish eggs upon the cabbage leaves, which soon hatch 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 191 

into little, green larvse that feed upon the substance 

of the foliage. In 

about two weeks they 

become full grown 

(Fig. 100, a), when 

they generally leave 

•the cabbage plants, 

and, finding SOme Fig . 10L i mpor t e a Cabbage Butterfly. Male 

suitable shelter — beneath a board or under the cop- 
ing of a fence — change to chrysalicls (Fig. 100, b). 
They remain in this condition about ten days, when 
they emerge as butterfles, to lay eggs for another 
brood of worms. The winter is passed in the chry- 
salis state. There are several generations of larvse 
each season, the number varying with the climate 
and latitude. 

This insect has numerous natural enemies with 
which to contend. The larvae 'and pupae are preyed 
upon by certain parasitic and predaceous insects, and 
the butterflies are often captured by insectivorous 
birds, as well as by a predaceous bug, known to ento- 
mologists as Pkymata wolffii. The larvae are often 
destroyed by thousands by a bacterial disease— a sort 
of insect cholera — that has lately aided greatly in 
checking the injuries of this pest. 

There are two or three species of native cabbage 
worms — notably the Southern Cabbage Butterfly 
(Pisris protodice) and the Potherb Butterfly (P. olera- 
■cea) — closely related and similar to this Imported 
Worm, that were formerly quite injurious to cabbage, 



192 INSECTS AFFECTING- THE CABBAGE. 

but since the introduction of the alien species they 
have been largely crowded to the wall, and are sel- 
dom destructive. 

Remedies. — Pyrethrum (insect powder or bu- 
bach), hot water, and kerosene emulsion are the sub- 
stances that can most successfully be used in fighting 
the Imported Cabbage Worm. The insect powder 
may be diluted with six or eight times its bulk of 
flour, and dusted on with a powder-gun or bellows, 
or it may be mixed with water in the proportion of 
one ounce to four or five gallons of water, and sprayed 
upon the plants. Dr. Riley gives preference to hot 
water as a remedy for this insect. He states that 
" every worm visible upon the cabbages may be 
killed by the use of hot water at the temperature of 
130° Fahrenheit. The water may be boiling hot 
when put in the watering-can, but it will not be too 
hot when it reaches the cabbage leaves." Kerosene 
emulsion can advantageously be used when the 
plants are young, though there would appear to be 
danger of tainting the heads if applied to the fully 
developed plants. Whichever method of treatment 
is adopted, it should be carried into practice at fre- 
quent intervals, thus keeping the worms well in 
check. If the plants are dusted with insect powder 
once a week during the time that the worms are 
present, they will cause little or no trouble. For 
applying the water mixtures of pyrethrum, or kero- 
sene emulsion, either the Excelsior or Field knapsack 
sprayers appear to be well adapted ; while on a larger 
scale the Nixon potato sprayer might be utilized. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



193 



The Cabbage Plusia. 

Plusia brassicse. 
This insect, illustrated in its three later stages at 
Fig. 102, has been known for years to do serious in- 
jury to a number of garden crops. While it. is espe- 
cially injurious to cabbage, it also attacks celery, 
turnip, tomato, clover, cauliflower, lettuce, dandelion, 
dock, and several other plants. The adult (shown at 
upper part of Fig. 102) is a handsome, dark-grey 
moth, with a silvery spot near the middle of each 
front wing. The females deposit their pale, greenish- 
yellow eggs, singly or in clusters, on the cabbage 




Fig. 102. Cabbage Plusia : a, larva ; b, pupa in cocoon ; c, rnoth. 

leaves, usually on the upper surface. The larvae 
soon hatch and devour the leaves as they develop, 
boring small, irregular holes in the cabbage head. 
12 



194 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 

When full grown (a), they are about an inch long, of 
a general pale-green color, with longitudinal lighter 
stripes : the head is small, and the body gradually 
enlarges from the front backward. In motion the 
body assumes a looping position, as shown in the 
figure. The full-grown larva spins a slight, white, 
silken cocoon on the cabbage leaf, generally on the 
lower surface, and within this changes to a brownish 
pupa, (6). In a short time it emerges as a moth. 
At the South, where this insect is ordinarily more 
destructive than at the North, there are several 
broods each season. The moths are nocturnal or 
crepuscular, but in cloudy weather are sometimes 
seen flying during the day. 

The larvae of the Cabbage Plusia are subject to 
the attacks of many enemies : they are devoured by 
birds, destroyed by certain parasitic insects, and often 
become the victims of a fungous disease. 

Remedies. — This insect is more difficult to destrc^ 
than the Imported Cabbage Worm, but it will suc- 
cumb to pyrethrum if not diluted with more than 
three times its bulk of flour, and may also be killed 
with the kerosene emulsion applied in a spray. 

The Zebra Caterpillar. 

Ceramica pida. 

This caterpillar is at once distinguished from other 

larvse feeding upon cabbage by the brilliant yellow 

and black markings upon its bod}^. It originates 

from small, spherical eggs, laid in clusters upon the 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



195 



cabbage leaves by a handsome, purplish-brown moth 
(Fig. 103, b), that appears early in summer. At first 
the larvee are very dark, and feed together gregari- 
ously, but as they develop they become lighter col- 
ored, and disperse over the plant. When disturbed 
they roll up and drop to the ground. They become 
full grown (a) in three or four weeks, when they are 
about two inches long, with a wide, longitudinal, 
velvet-black stripe upon the middle of the back, and 




Fig. 103. Zebra Caterpillar: a, larva; b, moth. 

two bright yellow stripes upon each side, which are 
connected by fine, yellow, transverse lines. The cat- 
erpillars now construct, slightly beneath the soil sur- 
face, loose cocoons composed of particles of earth 
fastened together by silken threads, within which 
they change to pupse. About a fortnight later the 
moths emerge, and deposit eggs for a second brood of 



196 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 

larvse, which develop early in autumn, pupating be- 
fore winter, and hibernating within their cocoons. 
Remedies. — When young the larvse are congre- 
gated together upon one or a few leaves, and may 
then easily be checked by hand-picking. Later they 
are open to destruction by the application of hot 
water, insect powder, or kerosene emulsion. 

The Wavy-striped Flea-beetle. 

Phyllotreta vittata. 
This little pest does not by any means confine its 
depredations to the cabbage, but attacks turnip, mus- 
tard, radish, and various other plants as well. It is 
represented magnified at Fig. 104, b, and is a small, 
shining black beetle, one tenth of an inch long, with 
a broad, yellow, wavy, longitudinal stripe on each 
wing-cover. It feeds upon the surface of the leaf, 
gnawing out little pits. 
The females deposit their 
minute, oval, whitish eggs 
upon the roots of various 
cruciferous plants, such as 
radish, cabbage, turnip, 
etc., and the larvse which 
hatch from them feed up- 
on these roots, sometimes 

Fig. 104. Wavy-striped Flea-beetle : 
doing SeriOUS damage m a, larva; 6, beetle. 

this way. The full-grown larva (Fig. 104, a) is about 
one-fourth of an inch long, with a yellowish-white 
body, and brown head. There appear to be two or 
more broods each season. 




INJURING THE LEAVES. 



197 



Remedies. — Tobacco powder is the best remedy 
for these little pests. If applied freely to the plants, 
it will drive them away. In seasons when the beetles 
are not too thick, dusting the plants with dry, un- 
leashed wood ashes, or lime or plaster, will also keep 
them off, and tobacco decoction is a good remedy. ' 

Cabbage Cut-worms. 

The cabbage is subject to attack by nearly a dozen 
species of cut-worms, nearly all of which, however, 
are similar in habits and history, and may well 
be treated of collectively. They are all larva? of 
medium-sized, night-flying moths, and are rather 
thick, naked worms of the general form of Fig. 105, a. 
They curl up when 
disturbed. The eggs 
are deposited gener- 
ally on the branches 
of trees and shrubs, 
the larva? descend- 
ing to the ground in 
search of food as 
soon as hatched. 
Most of them, feed 
upon grass or clover 
when young, becom- 
ing, about half grown by winter time, when they 
seek the shelter of some log or stone, or burrow into 
the soil. Here they hibernate, and in spring come 
forth in search of food. They now attack a variety 
of young plants, biting off the .stems and feeding 




Fig. 105. 



" <& _.: .cr* 

Variegated Cut-worm: a, larva; 
6, moth.. 



198 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 

upon the leaves. Cabbages, tomatoes, turnips, 
squashes, melons, and various other garden vegeta- 
bles are all liable to their attacks.. They become 
full grown in spring or early summer, when they 
pupate beneath the soil surface, and three or four 
weeks later emerge as moths. The larva (a) and 
moth (b) of the Variegated Cut-worm (Agrotis saucia) 
are represented, natural size, at Fig. 105. Some 
species have two or more broods each season, while 
others have but one. 

Cut-worms are especially likely to do damage in 
fields and gardens close to grass-lands, and to crops 
immediately following grass. 

Remedies. — Of the dozens of methods of destroy- 
ing cut-worms, there are three which are of special 
merit. They are : 

(1). The poison method. This consists in killing 
off the worms before the crops are planted, by strew- 
ing over the soil bunches of fresh clover or cabbage 
leaves, which have been treated with Paris green or 
London purple, either by dipping into a solution of 
the poison, or dusting it on dry. The half-grown 
worms prowling about in search of food eat of the 
baits thus set, and are destroyed before doing any 
harm. This method has proved a practical success 
with many gardeners ; and is well worth trying 
where there is likely to be trouble from these pests. 
Of course care must be taken that chickens or stock 
do not get at the poisoned leaves. 

(2). Using boards as traps. This method consists 
in placing boards on the ground in and about the 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



199 



garden, and collecting in the morning, the worms 
that will congregate beneath them during the night. 
(3). Digging out the worms where plants have been 
cut off. This is practicable in most gardens, and is 
well worth doing, thus preventing further damage. 

The Harlequin Cabbage-bug. 

Mwrgantia histrionica. 
The injuries of this insect were first noticed in 
Texas and other states at the far South, but it has 
gradually spread northward, especially along the 
Atlantic coast, until now it is seriously injurious as 
far north as Delaware. It feeds upon a variety of 
cruciferous plants, including cabbage, radish, mus- 
tard, turnip, etc. The insect " derives its name from 
the gay, theatrical, harlequin-like manner in which 
the black and orange-yellow colors are arranged upon 
its body " (Fig. 106, a, b, f, g). According to Dr. G. 

Lincecum, in Texas, 
" the perfect insect 
lives through the 
winter, and is ready 
to deposit its eggs as 
early as the 15th of 
March, or sooner if 
it finds any cruci- 
form plant large 
enough. They set 
their eggs (c, d, e) on 
end in two rows, ce- 
mented together, mostly on the under side of the 




Fig. 106. Harlequin Cabbage-bug : «, &, 
nymphs ; c, eggs ; f, adult ; g, adult 
with wings extended— all natural size ; 
d, eggs, side view; e, eggs, view from 
above,— d, e, enlarged. 



200 INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 

leaf, and generally from eleven to twelve in number. 
In about six days in April (four days in July) there 
hatches out from these eggs a brood of larvse, resem- 
bling the perfect insect, except in having no wings. 
This brood immediately begins the work of destruc- 
tion by piercing and sucking the life-sap from the 
leaves, and in twelve days they have matured. They 
are timid, and run off and hide behind the first leaf 
stem, or any part of the plant that will answer the 
purpose. The leaf- that they puncture soon wilts, 
like the effects of poison, and soon withers. Half a 
dozen grown insects will kill a cabbage in a day." 
At the South there are several broods each season. 
Remedies. — Hot water, kerosene emulsion, and 
pyrethrum are the substances chiefly recommended 
for the destruction of this pest. Clean cultivation 
and the burning of all rubbish are important pre- 
ventive measures. In spring and autumn many of 
the bugs may be trapped by laying cabbage or turnip 
leaves between the rows : the insects will harbor under 
these, and may be collected each morning. It is 
especially important to destroy the earlier broods of 
this pest, because otherwise it increases so rapidly 
as to be almost unconquerable. 

The Cabbage Aphis. 

Aphis brassier. 
Next to the Imported Cabbage Worm this species 
is, perhaps, the most injurious insect enemy of the 
cabbage ; and it also infests various other cruciferous 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



201 



plants, including turnip, radish, Field Cress, and 
Shepherd's Purse. It appears to 
have been originally an European 
species, and was probably intro- 
duced into America at an early 
date. It is probable that it is now 
found in this country wherever 
the cabbage is extensively grown. 
The Cabbage Aphis is a small, 

^ovTparous fem e at phis: greenish insect, generally covered 
Magnified. with a whitish, mealy coating, that 

occurs in great numbers on the leaves and in the 

heads. During the summer months it reproduces 





Fig. 108. Cabbage Apbis : male, magnified. 

viviparously, but in autumn true males (Fig. 108) 
and females (Fig. 107) are developed, eggs being 
deposited by the latter upon the cabbage leaves. 

Remedies. — Kerosene emulsion is the most effec- 
tive insecticide that can be used against this insect. 



202 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE CABBAGE. 



It may readily be applied to cabbage from a knap- 
sack sprayer, like the one manufactured by the Field 
Force Pump Company, or the Excelsior Sprayer. 
As the insect winters over in the egg state upon the 
cabbage leaves, it is advisable to destroy all the re- 
mains of the crop in autumn, not leaving the ' be- 
headed ' plants in the field all winter, as is too often 
done. 




INSECTS AFFECTING THE ONION. 

INJURING THE BULBS. 

The Onion Maggot. 

Anthomyia ceparum, 

The Onion Maggot is closely related to the Cabbage 
Maggot, to which it is similar in life-history and 
habits. The adult is a two-winged fly, which deposits 
its small, white eggs on the bulbs or lower leaves of 
the young plants. About a week later the eggs 
hatch into young larvas that bore into the bulbs, ab- 
sorbing the succulent substance. When one bulb is 
consumed they pass on to another. The full-grown 
larvas are nearly half an inch long, of a dull white 
color, and pointed at the mouth or front end. They 
complete their larval growth in about two weeks, and 
then leave the onions and enter the surrounding- 
earth, where they change to the pupa state within 
brown puparia. A fortnight later the flies emerge to 
lay eggs for another brood. 

Remedies. — Professor Cook states that the most 
practical method of preventing the injuries of this 
insect is to change the position of the onion bed 
every year, putting it each time some distance from 
where it was the preceding season. Wherever the 
conditions are such that this can be done, this is 
probably the best preventive measure. Miss Orme- 
rod reports that if the bulbs are kept covered with 
earth they are not attacked by the maggots. 



INSECTS AFFECTING ASPARAGUS, 

The Asparagus Beetle. 

Crioceris dsparagi. 
This insect was introduced into America from 
Europe about thirty years ago, and at once became 
very destructive to asparagus in the region of New 
York City. It has since spread over a large area, 
being reported in 1890 as far west as Ohio. Accord- 
ing to Professor Comstock its life-history may be 
briefly summarized as follows : " Upon the appear- 
ance of the plants in early spring, and just before the 
cultivators are ready to begin bunching for the early 
market, the beetles come forth in great numbers from 
their hibernating quarters — under sticks, stones, rub- 
bish, and especially under the splinters of wood on 
fences and under the scaly bark of trees — and com- 
mence gnawing the tops of the young plants. They 
pair and lay their eggs very soon. The eggs (Fig. 
109, a) are oval and are placed endwise on the 
plant, usually in rows of two to seven. In from 
seven to ten days the young larvae begin to make 
their appearance. In form they bear a close resem- 
blance to the Colorado Potato Beetle larvae. The 
general color is grayish olive with shining black head 
and brown legs. When full grown (b) they measure 
a little over three-tenths of an inch." The larvae 
feed upon the outer bark of the asparagus, and 



INJURING THE PLANTS. 



205 



develop in about two weeks from the time of 
hatching. They then descend to the earth where, 
slightly beneath the surface, or under rubbish above 
the surface, they change to pupae. About ten days 
later they emerge as beetles 
to feed upon the plants and 
deposit eggs for another 
brood. The beetles (c) are 
very pretty little creatures, 
with head, legs and antennae 
of a shining metallic green- 
ish-black hue, a reddish- 
brown thorax ornamented 
with two conspicuous black 
spots, and lemon-yellow wing 
covers, marked with a longi- 
itudinal black stripe and a 
transverse black band. There 

are tWO Or more broods each Fi S- 109 - Asparagus Beetle: a, 

eggs on stalk ; b, larva ; c, bee- 
SeaSOll. ^ e • ^ anc * ° magnified. 

Remedies. — The plan most successfully adopted, 
by Long Island gardeners to prevent the injuries of 
this insect is that of destroying by hoeing or other 
cultivation, all volunteer growth of asparagus, leav- 
ing only the shoots designed for market for the bee- 
tles to lay their eggs upon. These shoots are cut and 
removed so often that there is no opportunity for the 
eggs to hatch in the field, and thus the increase of the 
pest is effectually prevented. The beetles are greed- 
ily devoured by domestic fowls, and in kitchen 




206 



INSECTS AFFECTING ASPARAGUS. 



gardens these can sometimes be advantageously used 
against them. Of the artificial insecticides, pyreth- 
rum will probably give the best results. In small 
patches it has been found practicable to rub off the 
eggs from the growing shoots. 




PART V. 

INSECTS AFFECTING 
CEREAL and FORAGE CROPS. 




PLATE VI— The Striped Harvest-spider. 



INSECTS AFFECTING INDIAN CORN. 

INJURING THE ROOT. 

The Corn Root-aphis. 

Aphis maidis f 
This is a small, bluish-green aphis, or louse, which 
occurs on the roots of corn, from the time it comes 
up in spring until it is cut in autumn. Its general 

form, when magnified, is 
well shown at Fig. 110, 
which represents a closely 
related species, the Apple 
Aphis. There are two forms 
found upon the roots, one 
having wings and the other 
not, the latter being much 
the commonest. Both forms 
Fig. no. Apple Aphis. Magnified, are always attended by the 
common, small, brown ant (Lasius alienus), which 
cares for them as tenderly as it does for the eggs and 
young of its own species. Eggs are laid by the 
aphides, during September and October, in the sub- 
terranean galleries of the ants, and are collected by 
the latter and cared for all winter. In spring, when 
the lice are beginning to hatch, the ants tunnel 
about the roots of corn, or various weedy plants, and 
transport the little aphides to them. The lice feed 
upon the sap of the plant, sucking it through their 




210 



INSECTS AFFECTING INDIAN CORN. 



tiny beaks, and multiply viviparously or by giving 
birth to living young. They continue developing in 
this way until fall, when the egg-laying brood is 
produced. 

The presence of these lice upon the roots can easily 
be determined by carefully pulling or digging up 
plants supposed to be injured. The aphides, if pres- 
ent, will be seen crowding the roots as small, bluish- 
green particles. The affected plants generally appear 
yellow and sickly, growing slowly or not at all. 

Remedies. — A judicious rotation of corn with 
other crops is the only practicable preventive meas- 
ure that has as yet been suggested. 



The Western Corn Root- worm. 

D iabrotica longicornis. 
In Illinois, Kansas, and other western States, the 
roots of corn are frequently eaten off, during June 




Corn Root-worm: a, egg; 6, small section of egg, greatly mag- 
nified ; c, larva ; d, pupa ; e, beetle. Magnified. 

and July, by a slender, white worm, a little less than 
half an inch long, and about as thick as a common 



INJURING THE ROOT. 211 

pin. It has a small, brown head, and three pairs of 
short legs near the front end, at shown at Fig. Ill, c. 
It attacks the roots from the outer ends, burrowing 
beneath the surface, and eating its way toward the 
stalk. Shortly after midsummer it becomes full-fed, 
and, deserting the root, pupates in the surrounding 
soil. The pupa (d) is about one-fifth of an inch long, 
and white in color. A few days later it again trans- 
forms, and emerges as a grass-green beetle of the form 
represented at Fig. Ill, e. " The beetle climbs up 
the stalk," according to Professor Forbes' account, 
" living upon fallen pollen, and upon the silk at the 
top of the ear, until the latter dries, when a few of 
the beetles creep down between the husks and feed 
upon the corn itself, while the others resort for food 
to the pollen of such weeds in the field as are at that 
time in blossom. In September and October the eggs 
(a) are laid in the ground, upon or about the roots 
of the corn, and most of the beetles soon after disap- 
pear from the field." They feed for awhile upon 
various fall flowers, and gradually die off, the winter 
being passed by means of the eggs deposited in the 
corn ground. The eggs hatch the following spring. 

Remedies. — As the eggs of this insect are depos- 
ited in autumn in corn ground, rotation of crops 
furnishes a simple method of preventing its injuries. 
If the land is planted to some other crop the year 
following, the larvae, on. hatching, will be deprived 
of suitable food, and consequently will perish. 

13 



212 



INSECTS AFFECTING INDIAN CORN. 



The Southern Corn Root- worm. 

Diabrotica 12-punctata. 

The three later stages of this insect are represented 
at Fig. 112. The larva (a) is a slender, whitish 
worm, about half an inch long, resembling the West- 
ern Corn Root-worm, to which, in fact, it is closely 
related. It feeds promiscuously upon the roots and 

base of the stalk of 
corn, pupating in the 
soil about the roots, 
and emerging short- 
ly afterwards as a 
3 r ellow beetle with 12 
black spots upon the 
back (c). There are 
two broods each sea- 
son, eggs for the first 
brood being depos- 

Fig. 112. Southern Corn Root-worm : a, larva ; . 

6, pupa ; c, beetle. Magnified. ited by the female 

beetles in spring about the roots of young corn, and 
the second brood of larvae generally developing upon 
the roots of certain wild plants, especially those of 
the Composite family. The insect hibernates as an 
adult, and the beetles feed upon a great variety of 
vegetation, often doing serious damage to cucum- 
bers, squashes, melons, and other garden vegetables. 
Remedies. — No practicable remedy has yet been 
found for this insect in its corn infesting stage 




INJURING THE ROOT. 213 

Wireworms. 

Elateridse. 

Sprouting kernels of corn are often attacked by a 
hard, slender, yellowish worm, commonly called the 
wire- worm, which eats out the substance of the seed 
or attacks the young roots. These are the young or 
larvae of various species of brown, flattened, elongate 
beetles, called click beetles, snapping bugs, or " skip 
jacks," on account of their habit of snapping upward 
in the air when placed on their backs. Eggs are laid by 
these beetles in grass-lands especially, and the larvae 
that hatch feed for several years upon the roots of vari- 
ous plants. They finally transform during autumn 
in hollow cells in the earth into pupae, and shortly 
afterwards again change to beetles. They do not, 
however, leave their pupa cells at once, but remain 
in them until the following spring. Professor J. H. 
Comstock has found that in breeding cages, if these 
cells be broken open in fall the beetles die. 

Remedies. — On account of the fact just men- 
tioned, fall plowing has been recommended as a 
preventive of wire-worm injury, the supposition be- 
ing that the cells in which the beetles are resting 
will thus be broken open and the insects perish. 
Another method which has been recommended by 
leading entomologists is that of sowing corn which 
has been soaked in arsenic water over the field, about 
ten days before the crop is planted, and harrowing- 
it in. The wire-worms attacking the poisoned , corn 
will be killed. 



214 INSECTS AFFECTING THE INDIAN CORN. 

INJURING THE STALK AND LEAVES. 

i 

The Stalk-borer. 

Gortyna nitela. 

The terminal leaves of growing corn plants are 
sometimes observed suddenly to wilt and wither. If 
pulled upward it will be seen that they have been 
cut off inside the stalk, where there will generally be 
found a strip- 
ed, bro w n 
worm, of the 
form repre- 
sented at Fig. 
113,2. This 

is the Stalk- Fig. IIS. Stalk-borer: 1, moth; 2, larva. 

borer, so called, because of its habit of burrowing 
the stalks of various plants, such as the potato, 
tomato, cocklebur, etc. It hatches from an egg laid 
by a brown moth (1), and pupates beneath the soil 
surface. The moths appear late in summer or early 
in autumn, and the insect apparently hibernates in 
its adult condition. 

Remedies. — The only general measure that can 
be recommended against this insect is that of clean 
farming. The species largely develops in wayside 
weeds,, and consequently these should be destroyed. 
Wherever the larvae are found at work they should, 
of course, be killed. 




INJURING THE STALK AND LEAVES. 



215 



Cut Worms. 

Noctuidse. 
The general life-history of the various species of 
cut worms has already been described on page 197. 
These pests are especially liable to injure corn plant- 
ed on sod land, but such damage may easily be pre- 
vented by using the poison traps described in con- 
nection with remedies for cabbage cutworms (p.197). 
The field to be planted should be strewn with poi- 
soned clover or grass, or cabbage leaves, before the 
crop is put in, although if not done then the baits 
may be placed between the rows afterwards. 

The Garden Web- worm. 

Eurycreon rantalis. 
This insect occasionally becomes destructive over 
a wide area, and damages a great variety of crops, 
although corn usually suffers most. The adult is a 
small, grayish moth (Fig. 114, /), expanding about 
three-quarters of an inch, 
the females of which de- 
posit their eggs upon the 
leaves or stems of various 
plants. Soon after hatch- 
ing the young larvae be- 
gin to spin a protective 
web, which is enlarged as F i g . ii4. Garden web-worn 

, i i i t -n d, pupa, both twice natural size; /, 

the insects develop. lie- moth, slightly enlarged. 

neath this they feed upon the foliage, eating at first 




216 INSECTS AFFECTING THE INDIAN CORN. 

only the surface substance, but as they grow older 
they devour the whole leaf. The larvae become full 
grown in about a fortnight, when they spin thin, 
brownish cocoons on the ground, and change to pupse, 
to emerge ten days or two weeks later as moths. 
There are two or three broods each season. 

Remedies. — Spraying or dusting infested plants 
with London purple or Paris green is the most prac- 
tical remedy for this insect that has yet been suggested. 

The Corn Aphis. 

Aphis maidis. 

The leaves and stalks of corn are often infested by 
colonies of a small bluish aphis or plant-louse, the 
majority of which are wingless, and the rest winged. 
This is the Corn Aphis. It has been for a long 
while considered the aerial form of the Corn Root- 
louse, but the latest investigations indicate that the 
two are distinct species. 

The full life-history of this insect is not known. 
It is probably the summer form of some species that 
passes the fall, winter, and spring upon a tree or 
shrub. The winged viviparous females appear upon 
the corn early in summer and start colonies of 
young lice which develop rapidly and continue to 
multiply viviparously until the approach of cold 
weather in autumn. Then a winged brood appears, 
and leaves the corn, migrating, doubtless, to some 
other plant. But where it goes, and where the 
winged females that start the colonies in early sum- 
mer come from, is not known. 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAVES. 



217 



These plant-lice have many natural enemies with 
which to contend. Chief among these are certain 
minute four-winged parasitic flies, the lady-beetles, 
and harvest-spiders or daddy-long-legs. The first 
named of these enemies are true parasites, developing 
within the bodies of the aphides, but the rest are pre- 
daceous insects. There are several species of lady- 
beetles that, both in their larval and adult states, 
prey upon the Corn Aphis. An idea of their general 
appearance may be gained from Fig. 115, which 





Fig. 115. Twenty-spotted Lady-beetle : a, larva ; 6, pupa ; e, beetle. 

represents the three later stages of one of the smaller 
species — the Twenty-spotted Lady-beetle (Psyllobora 
20-maculata). It is probable, also, that great num- 
bers of the aphides are destroyed by the harvest- 
spiders which abound upon corn plants during sum- 
mer. One of the commonest of these — the Striped 
Harvest-spider — is shown, natural size, at Plate VI. 
Remedies. — It seldom becomes necessary to re- 
sort to artificial remedies for this insect. While it 
could readily be destroyed with kerosene emulsion, the 
application generally would not pay in field culture. 



218 



INSECTS AFFECTING THE INDIAN CORN. 



INJURING THE EARS. 

The Corn- worm or Boll- worm. 

Heliothis armigera. 

In the Southern States this insect is called the 
Boll-worm because it feeds upon cotton bolls ; but at 
the North it is known as the Corn-worm from its 
habit of eating the kernels of ripening corn. On this 
account it has come to be recognized as one of the 




Fig. 110. Corn-worm : a, b, eggs, side view and top view, magni- 
fied : c, larva; d, pupa, in cocoon; e, moth with wings ex- 
panded : /, moth with wings closed. 

most vexatious insect enemies of this crop, and 
no thoroughgoing remedy that is practicable on 
a large scale has as yet been devised for it. The 



INJURING THE EARS. 219 

parent is a good-sized, greenish-yellow moth (Fig. 
116, e,f) with a conspicuous black spot near the 
middle of the front wings, and various olive or ru- 
fous markings. These insects deposit their eggs 
anong the silks of the young ears. The larvae soon 
hatch and eat through the husk to the succulent 
kernels beneath, which they devour greedily for sev- 
eral weeks, gnawing irregular channels along the 
cob. When full-grown (c) they are an inch and a 
half long, of a pale green or dark brown color, orna- 
mented with longitudinal darker stripes. They now 
leave the ear, and, entering the soil a few inches, 
form loose cocoons of silk with particles of soil in- 
termixed, within which they change to chestnut- 
brown pupae (d), emerging about a fortnight later as 
moths. At the north there are two broods, a third 
one occasionally developing in exceptionally long 
seasons, while at the south there are four or five. 
The first brood is especially likely to infest early 
sweet corn in gardens. 

Remedies. — Hand-picking is the only remedy 
that has been suggested, except that of catching the 
moths by light-traps. The silk of infested ears shows 
the presence of the larvae by being prematurely dry 
or partially eaten, and the larvae may be readily 
found and crushed. In garden patches of sweet 
corn, at least, this method is worth using. In fields, 
fall plowing will help to reduce the amount of dam- 
age by destroying the pupae, either directly, or indi- 
rectly by exposing them to the weather and birds. 



INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 

The Hessian Fly. 

Cec idomyia destructor. 
This is one of the oldest and best known insect 
pests of American agriculture. It has ranked as a 
destructive species for more than a century, and has 
probably been intro- 
duced nearly every- 
where that wheat is 
grown. The adult is 
a small, two-winged, 
m o s q u i t o-like fl y 
(Fig. 117, d), the fe- 
males of which de- 
posit their eggs on 
the upper surfaces of 
the wheat blades ear- 
ly in autumn. In a few days the larvae hatch, and 
each descends the leaf to the base of the sheath, 
where it attaches itself, head downwards, to the stalk, 
and proceeds to absorb the life-sap of the plant. As 
the latter grows the young larva becomes imbedded 
in the stalk, where it remains stationary. AVhen 
full-grown (which occurs in three or four weeks from 
the time of hatching) the larva is a soft, white, foot- 
less maggot of the form represented at a. Its outer 




Fig. 117. Hessian Fly : a, larva ; 6, pupa ; 
c, injured stem. ; d, fly. 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 221 

skin now becomes hard and brown, and separates 
from the rest of the body, although it still surrounds 
the latter, forming a sort of cocoon, or, as it is more 
correctly called, puparium, within which the insect 
changes to a pupa (6). This is the " flaxseed " state, 
so called because of the resemblance of these brown 
puparia to flaxseeds.' The winter is usually passed 
in this condition, and in spring the flies emerge from 
the flaxseeds to lay eggs for another brood. The 
larvae of the fall brood affect the young wheat plants 
just above the roots, between the stalk and sheathing 
base of the leaf, but the spring generation are formed 
a little higher up, at the joints an inch or more above 
the soil surface. This second generation completes 
its transformations before harvest, and there is often, 
if not always, at least as far north as the latitude of 
40 degrees, a third brood, which develops during 
summer in volunteer wheat ; and Professor Forbes 
has shown that there may occasionally bu even a 
fourth brood during the year. But the chief damage 
is done by the fall and spring broods. 

There are several species of insect parasites which 
attack the Hessian Fly, so checking it that in most 
localities it only occasionally becomes injurious. 

Remedies. — The most promising method of pre- 
venting the injuries of this insect appears to be that 
of inducing the flies to deposit their eggs in young 
wheat, and then destroying it. Where a third brood 
develops in volunteer wheat this end may be accom- 
plished by turning under this volunteer growth 



222 



INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 



when the Hessian Fly larvae are about half-grown ; 
or in case no such brood develops in the volunteer 
wheat, a few strips in the field may be seeded to 
wheat a few weeks before the regular planting time, 
and the flies will lay their eggs in these, which are 
afterwards to be plowed under. Thus the main crop 
of wheat will escape infestation. 



The Chinch Bug. 

Blissus leucopterus. 

The Chinch Bug and the Rocky Mountain Locust 
have long been known as the arch enemies of West- 
ern agriculture. They have each destroyed millions 
of dollars worth of property, and have often caused 
great destitution over large areas. The Chinch Bug 




Chinch Bug : a, b, eggs ; c, e, /, young ; g, nymph or 
pupa ; h, adult. Magnified. 

flourishes best at the South, but occasionally occurs 
in destructive numbers as far north as New York 
and Minnesota. Like other injurious insects it is 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 223 

subject to periodical uprisings, which usually con- 
tinue one, two, or three seasons before the various 
natural checks upon its increase reduce its num- 
bers below the danger line. 

The' adult Chinch Bug (Fig. 118, h) is a small 
blackish insect, slightly less than one-fifth of an inch 
long, with the legs dark yellow, and their tips black. 
The young (c, e,f) do not differ in general form from 
the adults. When first hatched they are pale yel- 
low, but they soon become red : this continues to be 
the prevailing color until the pupa or last nymph 
stage ( g) is reached. The insect is then grayish or 
brownish -black. The eggs (a, b) are quite small, be- 
ing about 0.03 inch in length, and amber colored. 
Short-winged varieties of the adult Chinch Bugs are 
sometimes found. 

Professor S. A. Forbes has summarized the life- 
history of this insect as follows : " The Chinch Bug 
passes the winter in the adult winged state (a few 
black wingless individuals occasionally occurring) 
under rubbish in, or around the fields, in corn-shocks 
and straw-piles, under boards and among dead leaves 
in the woods, most abundant, usually, around the 
edges of the fields and in thickets, and around the 
borders of woods. From these lurking places such 
as survive the winter emerge in April and May 
(possibly sooner, if the season opens early), and, after 
pairing, lay their eggs, in May and June, in fields of 
spring and winter wheat, barley, rye, oats and corn 
— chiefly in wheat and barley — most of the eggs be- 
ing deposited in or near the ground, on the lower 



224 INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 

parts of the plants. Many of those hibernating 
around fields sown to wheat and barley make their 
way in on foot, thus attacking the outer edges first ; 
but others take wing and scatter freely wherever 
suitable food invites them. 

" By July most of the old bugs will b'e dead, and 
the new brood will be nearly full-grown, — far enough 
advanced by harvest to abandon the wheat fields for 
the nearest available food — oats or corn, if these are 
adjacent — otherwise and more rarely, grass. Making 
their way in on foot, only the borders of these fields 
will be at first attacked ; but later, by the 1st of Au- 
gust at the farthest, the bugs not already located will 
begin to fly, and so will become generally dissemi- 
nated through fields of corn. Here the eggs are laid 
behind sheaths of the lower leaves, and under the 
protection of this retreat the young hatch and ma- 
ture, only coming out upon the exposed surfaces of 
the leaves when they become superabundant or when 
they get their growth. The full-grown bugs fly 
freely, singly but not in swarms, whenever their food 
fails them where they are. Rarely we find in the 
southern part of Illinois some trace of a third brood 
in a season, the young of these appearing in Septem- 
ber in the corn — but these are in too small numbers 
to have any practical importance. The broods are 
mainly two, one breeding chiefly in wheat, and the 
other almost wholly in corn, the adults of the latter 
brood passing the winter as above described. Each 
female is believed to be capable of laying about five 
hundred eggs. 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 



225 



" The Chinch Bug is practically confined for food 
to the great family of grasses (Gramineos) which con- 
tains all the cereals and grasses, tame and wild. 
Some of these, however, it feeds upon with reluc- 
tance, if at all ; and among the ordinary objects of 
its food it has its very decided preferences. Among 
the crop plants, wheat, barley and rye, sorghum, 
broom -corn and Indian corn, millet and Hungarian 
grass are its favorite foods, with oats clearly second 
to these ; while among the wild grasses, its prefer- 
ence is for fox-tail grass and ' tickle grass ' (Setaria 
and Eragrostis)." 

The Chinch Bug is sub- 
ject to the attack of various 
predaceous insects and ver- 
tebrate enemies. Of the 
former the lady-bugs fur- 
nish a good example, and 
of the latter certain birds, 
especially the quail, may 
be mentioned. But these 
enemies are. insignificant 
so far as concerns their 
effects upon the numbers 
of the bugs, when com- 
pared with certain fungous 
or bacterial diseases to 
which these pests are lia- 

Fig. 119. Chinch Bugs affected |. 

by Entomophthora. ■ ble. These diseases sweep 

them off by the million, and are usually the most 
potent factor in checking their out-breaks. One of 




226 INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 

these is a fungus that develops on the surface of 
the bug as a dense white covering. This disease is 
illustrated at Fig. 119 : a number of the dead bugs 
are shown on a dead wheat stalk at the left, while a 
single bug, much magnified, covered with the fun- 
gus, is rej>resented at the right. This fungus belongs 
to a genus of plants called by botanists Entomoph- 
thora. 

Remedies. — Professor S. A. Forbes has divided 
the remedial and preventive measures applicable to 
the Chinch Bug into three general classes, namely : 
(1) Agricultural methods ; (2) Barriers against mi- 
gration ; (3) Direct destruction. Under the first of 
these heads are. included (1) clean farming, especially 
the cleaning up of refuse that may serve as protec- 
tion for the bugs during winter, and the destruction 
of the grass-like weeds upon which they feed ; (2) 
diversified farming and the culture of crops not 
affected by the Chinch Bug ; (3) the temporary aban- 
donment, in corn districts, of small grains, especially 
wheat and barley ; and vice versa, the similar aban- 
donment of corn in small grain districts ; (4) heavy 
fertilization to enable the crops better to withstand 
attack ; (5) the use of surplus seed, or the mixing of 
clover or timothy seed with small grains when 
sowed, to produce a heavy growth in which Chinch 
Bugs do not like to work ; (6) plowing under the 
bugs and their eggs whenever this is practicable. 

Under the head of barriers against migration are 
included : (1) plowing and harrowing at harvest time 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 227 

around infested fields, or plowing one or two deep 
furrows around the field ; (2) pouring coal tar along 
the ground just outside the infested fields and dig- 
ging holes occasionally on the inside of the tar line 
for the bugs to fall into ; (3) planting strips with 
crops not subject to injury by the Chinch Bug. 

But the most satisfactory class of remedies are 
those by which the insects are killed outright, and 
in future outbreaks these will undoubtedly play a 
much more important part than in the past. The 
bugs are easily destroyed by kerosene emulsion, and 
by means of the improved spraying machines now 
upon the market this substance can advantageously 
be used against them. During fall, winter and 
spring, all infested grass lands, and so far as possible, 
wood lands, should be burned over to destroy the 
hibernating bugs. Remarkable success has also 
lately been attained in spreading, artificially, the 
fungous diseases of the Chinch Bug. 

The Grain Aphis. 

Siphonophora avense. 
This insect occasionally becomes destructive to 
wheat and oats over large areas. It is a small 




Fig. 120. Oats leaf infested by Grain Aphis. 

greenish or brownish aphis, with or without wings, 
which breeds upon wheat, oats, and various other 



14 



228 



INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 



* plants of the grass family. It obtains its food by in- 
serting appointed beak into the leaf or stem and 
sucking out the sap. As the wheat gets ripe it mi- 
grates to the more succulent oats, and when these 
ripen goes to various grasses. It brings forth living 
young, and its rate of multiplication is very great, it 
being estimated that a single 
louse in spring may become 
the ancestor of millions be- 
fore autumn. The true sexed 
forms have not yet been 
found. The wingless vivipa- 
rous female is represented, 
greatly magnified, at Fig. 
121 . The injury of these in- 
sects is chiefly manifested by 
the shriveling of the grain in 
infested fields. 
Fortunately this insect has many natural enemies 
with which to contend. Chief among these are little 
four-winged parasitic flies, and various species of 
lady-beetles. These natural enemies are undoubt- 
edly the means of preventing this pest from over- 
running grainfields every year. 

Remedies. — As yet no practical artificial remedy 
for the Grain Aphis is known. Kerosene emulsion 
will destroy them, but the difficulty of reaching them 
with it when they occur on the under surface of the 
leaf, makes the remedy hardly practical. We must 
ordinarily rely upon the weather and its various 
natural enemies to hold it in check. 




Grain Aphis : wing- 
less female. Magnified. 



INJURING THE STALK AND LEAF. 



229 



The Wheat Bulb Worm. 

Meromyza americana. 
This insect has attracted the attention of economic 
entomologists only during comparatively recent 
years. The adult is a handsome two winged fly 
(Fig 122, d), having two longitudinal yellowish 
stripes along its back. The females deposit eggs in 
the fall on the young wheat plants, and the larvse, 
on hatching, feed upon the central portion of the 
stem, just above the bulb of the plant. They remain 

here through the 
winter, becoming 
full-grown in spring. 
They are then foot- 
less cylindrical lar- 
va? of the form 
shown at b. They 
pupate in the spring 
and a fortnight later 
emerge as flies. Af- 
ter mating, the female flies of this brood deposit eggs 
for larvse which work in the straw, just above the 
last joint, thus cutting off the sap supply from the 
head and causing it to wither and dry up. These 
larva? complete their transformations during July, 
when they are on the wing as flies. Early in July 
eggs are deposited by this brood of flies on volunteer 
wheat, and the transformations of these are com- 
pleted in time for the adults to lay their eggs in the 




Fig. 122. Wheat Bulb Worm : a, egg ; b, 
larva: c, puparium; d, fly. Magnified. 



230 



INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 



fall wheat. Consequently there are three broods 
each season. Besides wheat this insect breeds in 
oats and various grasses. 

Remedies. — The destruction of volunteer wheat 
after the worms have gotten started in it, and the 
early planting of strips to induce them to oviposit, 
are the best remedial measures for this insect. 



Wheat Joint- worms. 

Isosoma liordei, 1. tritici and I. grande. 

There are three nearly related species of minute 
four-winged flies (Fig. 123, a, b) which deposit eggs 
in wheat stems that hatch into the so-called joint- 
worms. Accord- 
ing to Professor 
F. M. Webster 
"the females 
push their ovi- 
positors into the 
stems of grow- 
ing wheat and 
deposit t h e i r 
eggs singly, but 
often several in 
each straw. This 

Fig. 123. Joint-worm fly : a, female ; c, antenna IS done during 
of same ; e, abdomen of same ; b, male ; d, an- , 

tenna;/, abdomen. Magnified. the early Spring, 

and again during June, in the latitude of central 
Indiana, the young larvEe feeding upon the substance 




INJURING THE HEADS. 231 

of the stem ; bat, being secure from ordinary obser- 
vation, they are seldom noticed. We have found 
five of these larvae at work on a single stem. These 
worms do not usually wither the straw, and the 
effect of their work is only to be observed in the 
shorter and more slender stem, shorter heads and 
smaller and less plump kernels. 

" The larvae are almost invariably found below the 
upper joint, and hence, by cutting the grain a little 
high, they can be left in the field, and as they pass 
the winter as pupae in the same situation, by burn- 
ing the stubble any time between harvest and the 
following March, they can be destroyed. As the 
adults emerging from the old straws in spring are 
almost invariably' wingless, they cannot travel about 
very rapidly. And hence changing the grain from 
one field to another, or rotating the crop, is often 
quite effectual in keeping them in check. Those 
adults appearing in June from the growing plants, 
are provided with well developed wings, and can 
travel about from field to field with the utmost 
freedom." 



INJURING THE HEADS. 

The Wheat Midge. 

Cecidomyia tritici. 

This insect is closely related to the Hessian fly. 

The adult is a small, two-winged, yellow or orange 

colored fly that appears in the wheat fields a few 

weeks before harvest time, and deposits its minute 



232 



INSECTS AFFECTING WHEAT. 



eggs in the crevices between the chaff of the wheat 
heads. These eggs soon hatch into little footless mag- 
gots that attack the young germ or kernel, blasting 
it. About three weeks later they become full grown : 
they then leave the heads and enter the ground, 
where they pupate. There is but one brood each 
year. Besides wheat, the Midge is said to breed in 
rye, barley, oa/ts and, possibly, grass. 

Remedies. — Early maturing grains are less liable 
to be infested by this insect than those ripening 
later. Consequently farmers in regions where it is 
present plant such varieties early, with general high 
culture. Many of the insects will be destroyed by 
the deep plowing of the infested fields. 



INJURING STORED GRAIN. 

The Grain Weevil. 

Calandra granaria. 
There are several species of beetles infesting gran- 
aries, the habits and life-histories of which, however, 
are quite similar. As an 
example we may take the 
Imported Grain Weevil, 
the larva of which is rep- 
resented at Fig. 124 a. 
The parent insect being a 
small, dark-reddish snout- 
beetle (b), deposits its eggs 

^ ■" x 00 Fig. 124. Gram Weevil: a, larva; 

upon the grain. The eggs b > beetle - Magnified. 




INJURING STOKED GRAIN. 233 

soon hatch into legless little larva? that eat out the 
substance of the kernels, and become full-grown 
(a) in a few weeks. They then change to pupae 
and soon afterwards again transform to adult beetles. 
There are several broods each season. All sorts of 
stored grain, such as corn, oats, wheat, barley, etc., 
are attacked by these insects. 

Remedies. — Bisulphide of carbon appears to be 
the best insecticide to. use against grain weevils. The 
vapor of this substance is poisonous to insect life, 
and as it is heavier than air it will descend between 
the kernels of grain, destroying all the weevils which 
it reaches. Dr. C. V. Riley has lately called atten- 
tion to the following method of using it, premising 
with the statement that one and a half pounds of 
bisulphide is sufficient for each ton of grain : " A 
ball of tow is tied to a stick of such a length that it 
can reach the middle of the vessel containing the 
grain. The tow receives the charge of bisulphide 
like a sponge, and is at once plunged into the vessel 
and left there, the mouth or opening of the vessel 
then being tightly closed. When necessary, the 
stick may be withdrawn and the charge (of 1 ounce 
to 100 pounds of grain) may be renewed. The ac- 
tion of carbon bisulphide lasts in ordinary cases six 
weeks, after which period a fresh charge is required. 
The bisulphide does no harm to the grain as regards 
its color, smell, or cooking properties, and the germ- 
inating power of most seeds is not appreciably affect- 
ed, provided that not too much is used, nor its action 
continued for too long a period." 



INSECTS AFFECTING CLOVER. 



INJURING THE ROOT. 



The Clover Root-borer. 

Hylastes trifolii. 
This insect was originally a native of Europe, 
from whence it was introduced into America not 

very many years ago. The 
adult is a small, brownish- 
black, punctate beetle (Fig. 
125, d), not quite one-tenth 
of an inch long. It deposits 
eggs during spring in the 
crown of the clover plant, 
four or five eggs being laid on 
each plant. Shortly after- 
wards the larvae hatch and 
burrow downward through 
the larger roots (a, a), feeding 
upon the inner substance, 
and filling the galleries be- 
hind them with their saw- 
dust-like excrement. Late in 
the larvae become 
fully grown (b), when they 
are one-eighth of an inch long, with a whitish body 
and yellow head. They change to pupae (c) within 
the tunneled roots (a, a), and shortly afterwards 




Fig. 125. Clover Root-borer: a, cnmm^r 
infested plant ; 6, larva; e, pu- B ' 
pa; d, beetle: 6, c, d, magnified. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 235 

emerge as adult beetles. The species generally passes 
the winter in the beetle state, but occasionally hiber- 
nates as a larva or pupa. 

The injuries of this insect are frequently very 
serious, whole fields of clover often being destroyed. 
Fortunately its ravages are as yet confined to a com- 
paratively few states, but it is likely to spread over 
a large portion of the country. 

Remedies. — In regions infested by this insect it 
has been found necessary to rotate the clover crop 
more frequently than before, mowing the seeded land 
but once, and pasturing or plowing under the abund- 
ant second growth. In this way the crop is turned 
under before the injuries of the borer become mani- 
fest. According to many of the most successful 
farmers, this frequent rotation is deemed desirable 
anyhow, so that the insect, in their opinion, is a 
means of compelling the adoption of an improve- 
ment in farm management. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Clover Leaf-beetle. 

Phytonomus punctatus. 
Like so many other of our injurious insects, the 
native home of this species is Europe, from whence 
it was probably introduced into America many years 
ago, although it has only been seriously destructive 
here for a comparatively few years. It was first 



236 



INSECTS AFFECTING CLOVER. 



noticed in New York State, and as yet has not spread 
to very many other states, although it is likely to do so. 
Dr. C. V. Riley, who first worked out the Ameri- 
can life-history of this species, has admirably illus- 
trated this insect and its injury at Fig. 126. The 
adult (i, j, k) is a dark brown snout-beetle, not quite 
half an inch long, which feeds greedily upon the 




Fig. 126. Clover Leaf-beetle : 6, 6, &, 6, larva? feeding ; /, cocoon ; i, beetle — 
all natural size ; a, egg; c, young larva ; g, nieshes of cocoon ; h, pupa; 
k, j, beetle, back and side views— magnified. 

clover leaves at night, remaining concealed among 
the rubbish on the soil surface during the day. The 
female beetles deposit their eggs in irregular clusters 
in the hollow leaf |or flower stems or between the 



INJURING THE HEAD. 237 

leaf-bracts at the base of the plant. The eggs are 
very small, oval, smooth, and yellowish-green. 
Each female is capable of depositing 200 to 300 
eggs. In about ten days the larvse hatch and begin 
feeding on the leaves. They are legless little grubs 
of the form shown at c. They continue feeding and 
growing (b, b, b) for seven or eight weeks, increasing 
much in size and moulting three times during the 
period. The larvae, like the beetles, are mostly noc- 
turnal in their habits, and ordinarily remain con- 
cealed during the day. The full grown larvse form 
pale yellow cocoons, consisting of a coarse network 
of silk (/, g) in the soil, just beneath the surface. 
They pupate (h) within these cocoons, and a month 
later emerge as beetles. There is apparently but one 
brood each season, although it is possible that there 
may sometimes be two. During the early summer 
months (May and June) it is mostly in its immature 
stages. It ordinarily hibernates as an adult, but 
may also occasionally pass, the winter in the other 
stages of its existence. 

Remedies. — The only remedy yet suggested is 
that of plowing under infested fields during May or 
June, thus destroying the immature stages. 



INJURING THE HEAD. 



The Clover Seed-midge. 

Cecidomyialeguminicola. 
The Clover Seed-midge is a small, orange-colored 
maggot that develops in the clover heads at the 



238 



INSECTS AFFECTING CLOVER. 




expense of the young seeds. It hatches from eggs laid 

by a very small, two- 
winged fly (Fig. 127, 
a), similar to the 
Hessian Fly in ap- 
pearance. The fe- 
male is provided 
with a long oviposi- 
tor with which she 
pushes her eggs in 
among the young 
flowers. When the 

Fig. 127. Clover |eed n midge: a, fly; ^ larva. larya {& fuU g]wn 

(b) it wriggles its way out of the head and falls to 
the ground, where at or just beneath the soil surface, 
it forms a slight cocoon, within which it changes to 
the pupa state. About ten days later the flies emerge 
to lay eggs for another brood. In the Northern 
States there are two broods each season, while at the 
South there are at least three, and possibly more. 
Clover fields infested by this insect are at once dis- 
tinguished by the unnatural condition of the heads 
at time of blossoming : instead of being red with 
bloom, the heads are green and dwarfed on account 
of the undeveloped florets. 

Remedies. — The best preventive of the injuries 
of this insect yet suggested is that of mowing the 
field about the middle of May (in the latitude of 
central Ohio) when the green heads are just forming, 
and leaving the partial crop thus cut on the ground 



INJURING THE STEM. 



239 



as a mulch and fertilizer. A new crop of blossoms 
is then produced, which comes between the regular 
crops, and also between the two broods of the Midge. 
This method has been tried for several years by some 
of the best farmers of Ohio, with excellent results. 
The other remedies ordinarily recommended are 
early cutting of the first crop — about ten days earlier 
than usual — and pasturing the fields in spring. 
But there are serious objections to both these methods. 



INJURING THE STEM. 




The Clover Stem-borer. 

Languria mozardi. 
This insect has been frequently discussed in ento- 
mological literature as an enemy to clover, but no 

record has yet been made 
showing that it ever seri- 
ously injures this crop. 
Until lately it was supposed 
to develop exclusively in 
clover, but recent observa- 
tions indicate that it breeds 
more freely in other plants, 
especially certain weeds of 
the Composite family, than 
in clover. 

The three later stages of 
this Clover Stem-borer are represented, magnified, at 
Fig. 129. The adult insect, shown at c, is a small, 





Fig. 129. Clover Stem-boreV\ a, lar- 
va; 6, pupa; e, beetle. Magnified. 



240 



INSECTS AFFECTING CLOVER. 



elongate beetle, about one-fourth of an inch long, 
with the thorax yellowish red, and the wing-covers 
shining bluish-black. The larva, represented at a, 
is a slender, cylindrical creature, with three pairs of 
jointed legs on its under surface near the head, and 
a pair of pro-legs at the posterior extremity. The 
pupa is well shown at b of the same figure. It is 
usually of a yellowish color. 

The eggs of this insect are evidently deposited in 
a great variety of plants, in the stems of which the 
larvae develop, feeding upon the pith of the stalk. 
So long as there is a plentiful supply of wild plants, 
it is doubtful if it becomes of economic importance. 



INJURING THE HAY. 

The Clover Hay- worm. 

Asopia costatis. 
Clover hay that has been standing in the mow or 
stack for sometime, 
is often infested by 
numerous small 
brown worms 
which web the 
dried stems and 
leaves together and 
feed upon them. 
This is the insect 
named above, and 
its various stages 
are represented, 




Fig. 130. Clover Hay-worm : 1, 2, larva ; 3, co- 
coon ; 4, pupa ; 5, 6, moth. 



INJURING THE HAY. 241 

natural size, at Fig. 130. The adult is a very pretty 
little purple and golden moth (5, 6) which deposits 
eggs upon such clover hay as it has access to. The 
eggs soon hatch into small brown worms that become 
full-grown (1, 2) in a few weeks. They then spin 
silken cocoons (3) within which they change to 
chrysalis (4), to emerge soon after as adult moths. 
There are two or more broods each season. 

Remedies. — It will readily be seen that these in- 
sects are more likely to prove troublesome when old 
hay is left over from season to season for them to 
breed in. Consequently ha} r mows should be thor- 
oughly cleaned out each summer, and new stacks 
should not be put on old foundations until all of the 
leavings of the previous season are removed. Hay 
which is thickly infested by the worms should be 
burned. 




INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 

INJURING THE ROOTS. 

The White Grub. 

Lachnosterna fusca. 

This notorious pest is the young or larva of the 

common May Beetle or June Bug. Its life-history 

may be briefly summarized as follows : The brown 

beetles, shown at 3 and 4, Fig. 131, appear during 




Fig. 131. May Beetle: 1 pupa: 2, larva: 3 and 4, adult. 

May and June, and feed at night upon the foliage of 
various fruit and shade trees. They deposit small, 
whitish eggs among the roots of grass. These eggs 
hatch into small, brown-headed grubs, that feed 
upon the roots about them. They continue feeding 
for two seasons, when they are full grown and 



INJURING THE ROOTS. 243 

resemble 2, Fig. 131. They then form an oval cell in 
the soil and change to the pupa state, and soon after 
transform into beetles. The change to the pupa and 
beetle states generally occurs in fall, the beetles 
remaining in the ground until the following spring, 
so that they are often turned up during late fall or 
early spring plowing. 

Remedies. — This insect is one of the most diffi- 
cult pests to fight of its class. It breeds especially 
in grass lands, and often ruins pastures and mead- 
ows, while crops planted on sod land are very fre- 
quently destroyed. There is much evidence to prove 
that with high farming and short rotations its in- 
juries may largely be prevented. The parent beetles 
may be destroyed by spraying the trees on which 
they feed with London purple or Paris green. It 
will often pay, when land infested by these grubs 
is to be planted to strawberries or other crops which 
they are liable to injure, to have boys follow the 
plow and collect the grubs as they appear in the fur- 
row. In this way a large amount of damage can 
frequently be prevented at very slight expense. The 
grubs in infested meadows may be destroyed by 
turning swine in the field. 

The Meadow Maggot. 

Tipula bicarnea. 
Meadows are sometimes injured by large, dark- 
colored, legless grubs of the form represented at Fig. 
132, a, which feed upon the roots just beneath the 

15 



244 



INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 



surface. These are the larvae of Crane Flies, the 
large two-winged insect represented natural size at 
c of the figure. The adults appear in spring, often 
in great numbers, and deposit numerous eggs in 
grass lands. In a short time these eggs hatch into 




Fig. 132. Crane Fly: a, larva; 6, pupa; c, adult. 

small, blackish grubs that feed upon the roots of 
grasses and other plants. They continue feeding for 
some time before becoming full-grown — their food 
including much decaying vegetation as well as the 
living roots, — when they are about an inch long, and 
of a]dirty grayish black color. They now change to 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 245 

pupae, one of which is represented at b, and about a 
fortnight later the flies emerge with their long legs 
and slender wings. The larvae are commonly called 
Leather Jackets or Meadow Maggots. In England 
the crane flies are called daddy-long-legs*, although 
in this country this name is usually applied to the 
harvest-spielers, a common species of which is 
represented at Plate VI (p. 208). There are a great 
man}' species of these crane flies in America, and the 
later stages of one of the largest of them are repre- 
sented in the accompanying figure. 

Remedies. — In America these insects rarely be- 
come sufficiently injurious to require remedial treat- 
ment. When they do the most successful plan yet 
tried is that of driving a flock of sheep or herd 
of swine over the field to kill the larvae by their 
tramping. 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 

The Army Worm. 

Leucania unipuncta. 

This is one of the most noted insect enemies of 
American agriculture. It occasionally does great 
damage to a variety of cereal and forage crops, 
although during recent years its irruptions appear to 
be growing less frequent. The worm itself is closely 
related to the cut-worms, to which it is similar in 
life-history and habits. It hatches from eggs laid by 



246 



INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 




a handsome brown moth (Fig. 133, a) between the 
sheaths of grass 
blades. The young 
larvae hatch in a week 
or ten days, and are 
at first green, but 
later become orna- 
mented with longitu- 
dinal stripes of yel- 
low, gray, and black, 
(6). The larva feeds 
upon the leaves of 
grass, wheat, oats, rye, 
etc., and becomes full 

grown in about a Fig. 133. Army Worm : a, moth ; 6, larva. 

month from the time of hatching. Ordinarily it 
remains concealed about the bases of grass or grain, 
feeding there unnoticed, but occasionally the larvse 
become so numerous that they exhaust their food 
supplies, and then they are forced to seek other feed- 
ing grounds. At such times the " armies " appear, 
and moving in solid masses sweep all grasses and 
cereals before them. The full-grown larvse enter the 
ground and pupate in earthen cells, emerging a fort- 
night later as moths. Tn southern latitudes there 
are two or three broods each season, while at the 
North there are one or two. The insect hibernates 
both as a moth and larva, although the latter doubt- 
less predominates. 

The Army Worm has a great many enemies with 



INJUKING THE LEAVES. 247 

which to contend. It is preyed upon by birds, as 
well as by predaceous and parasitic insects, and is sub- 
ject to the attacks of certain bacterial diseases that 
often sweep the larvse off by millions. ■ These vari- 
ous natural enemies are the chief means of keeping 
the pest in check. 

Remedies. — The burning of pastures and mead- 
ows during fall, winter, or spring, especially the lat- 
ter, is very often recommended as a remedy for the 
Army Worm, and large numbers of the larvae may 
thus be destroyed. The migration of the worms 
from field to field may be prevented by plowing deep 
furrows with the perpendicular sides away from the 
worms, or by setting fence boards on edge, leaning a 
little toward the worms, and smearing the upper 
edge with coal tar. With the improved appliances 
for distributing Paris green and London purple now 
in use, these poisons will no doubt be more largely 
used in suppressing future outbreaks of these worms 
than in the past. It is quite probable also that we 
may before long be able to fight them by means of 
the germs of the contagious diseases to which they 
are subject. 

Grasshoppers. 

Acrididse. 
The family of locusts or short-horned grasshoppers 
— commonly called simply grasshoppers — contains 
many species which are more or less injurious in 
pastures and meadows. The hind legs of these in- 
sects are long and strong, enabling them to make the 



248 INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 

leaps or hops which has given them their common 
name. The largest species of this family inhabiting 
the United States is the Bird Grasshopper or Ameri- 
can Locust (Acridium americanum) represented nat- 
ural size at Fig. 134. At a little distance, when fly- 
ing, this handsome insect might easily be mistaken 




Fig. 134. Bird Grasshopper or American Locust. 

for a small bird. It inhabits the Southern States, 
but occurs rather commonly as far north as the 
fortieth degree of latitude. 

The Rocky Mountain Locust or Western Grass- 
hopper (Melanoplus spretus) is the most destructive 
American insect of this family. Its stages of growth 
are shown at Fig. 135. The eggs are laid during 
the late summer or early autumn months, in masses 
of twenty or thirty each, in the soil just below the 
surface. They remain over winter in this condition, 
hatching in spring into wingless little hoppers, as 
shown at a, a. They gradually increase in size, and 
cast their skins after a short time, when they resem- 
ble b. They acquire wing-pads in the stage imme- 
diately preceding that of the adult, as shown at c, and 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 



249 




135. Rocky Mountain Locust : 
a, b. young nymphs; c, fully de- 
veloped nymph or pupa ; d, adult. 



finally become full-fledged (d). They are active 

during their entire ex- 
istence. The native 
"*\ home of this species is 
in the high and dry ta- 
ble lands of the Rocky 
Mountain regions, where 
it breeds year after year. 
Occasionally it becomes 
so abundant in these re- 
gions that the food sup- 
ply is exhausted, and it 
is compelled to seek by flight green pastures. It is 
at such times that these insects migrate in vast 
swarms to the fertile fields of the Mississippi Valley, 
destroying every vestige of greenness in their path. 
Fortunately, however, they are unable to breed per- 
manently at these lower levels, and although eggs 
are deposited by these invading hordes, the young 
hoppers hatched from them seldom attain a healthy 
development. 

The commonest grasshopper in the Northern 
States is called the Red-legged Locust (Melanoplus 
femur-rubrum). It is closely allied and very similar 
to the Rocky Mountain Locust. It frequently be- 
comes seriously destructive in restricted localities, 
but never does the wide-spread damage of its West- 
ern congener. The life-history of this species has 
been summarized by Professor S. A. Forbes as fol- 
lows : " These locusts are single-brooded ; they hiber- 
nate in the egg, hatching in midsummer; pass 



250 INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 

through five successive moults, gaining their full 
size, and with this their wings, in August, and com- 
mence to lay eggs in September. The females deposit 
these in the earth, boring cylindrical holes for the 
purpose with the abdomen, and laying the eggs in a 
symmetrical mass within the burrow thus formed. 
With the egg mass is extruded a quantity of mucus, 
which soon hardens and forms a sort of case or mat- 
rix, in which the eggs are imbedded. The upper 
part of the hole is also filled with this mucus. The 
female is commonly busied from two to four or five 
hours in the deposit of a single egg mass, and lays, 
ordinarily, from two to four such masses in different 
holes, upon different days, commencing the process 
of oviposition, as a rule, about a month after she has 
acquired her wings. After this process is completed 
the exhausted females soon perish. They select by 
preference, for oviposition, hard and dry ground, 
roadsides and pastures being especially favorite lo- 
calities. Meadows and pastures are commonly re- 
sorted to by the mature females, especially the latter, 
as the eggs seem not to be laid ordinarily on ground 
covered by luxuriant vegetation. I have never 
known them deposited in cultivated earth. 

" The food habits of these locusts are extremely 
simple, and consist in eating nearly everything that 
comes in their way. They are quiet at night, and 
indeed, as they mature, they select elevated positions 
as roosts, climbing to the tops of stems of grass in 
meadows, to the tassels of the stalks in corn fields, 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 251 

and even deserting fields of low herbage if they can 
find more elevated roosting points near by. When 
very abundant, and when the weather continues dry, 
they occasionally swarm like the Rocky Mountain 
Locust, but rarely flying continuously to any great 
distance, or indeed taking any definite course." 

Fortunately there are a considerable number of 
species of animals that depend, to a greater or less 
extent, upon grasshoppers for subsistence. Some of 
these are predaceous, others parasitic, but all com- 
bine in keeping the pests in check. Prominent 
among those efficient in this work are the species 
that live upon or within the eggs of the locusts, as 
the latter exist in that state for the longest period of 
their lives, and are also then the most helpless and 
susceptible to injury. The common blister beetles 
(Epicauta) live, so far as known, in their larval state, 
exclusively upon the eggs of locusts, and are thus of 
immense benefit to man. Small red mites, which 
are frequently seen attached to the bodies of the ma- 
ture locusts, are also of benefit, in that while young 
they suck the life-juices of the locusts, and, later, 
puncture their eggs and extract the contents. The 
larvse of the common black ground beetles (Carabidse) 
which are, to a great extent, carnivorous, also feed 
upon the eggs, and, as they are everywhere abund- 
ant, contribute not a little to lessening their num- 
bers. Certain species of two-winged flies {Diptera) 
are also known to be parasitic upon the eggs as well 
as the adults. 



252 INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 

Remedies. — The time when grasshoppers can 
most successfully be fought is when they are either 
in the egg or young larval states. Shallow plowing 
and harrowing, during autumn, of fields where they 
are deposited will break up many of the egg pods, 
exposing them to enemies and the weather. The 
methods by which young locusts may be destroyed 
have been classified by the United States Entomo- 
logical Commission as follows: (1), burning; (2), 
crushing ; (3), trapping ; (4), catching ; (5), use of de- 
structive agents. By the first method old hay or 
straw is scattered " over and around the field in 
heaps and windrows, into which the locusts for some 
time after the} r hatch may be driven and burned." 
When the weather is cold and damp the locusts will 
seek the shelter of the hay or straw, and may easily 
be burned before escaping. This method is well 
adapted to upland pastures, where the eggs are usu- 
ally deposited in the greatest numbers. 

For the successful application of the second meth- 
od mentioned above, it is necessary that the surface 
of the fields on which it is applied should be smooth 
and hard. Here, again, the upland pastures present 
unusually favorable opportunities for successful work. 
Dr. Riley states that " Where the surface of the 
ground presents this character, heavy rolling can be 
successfully employed, especially in the mornings 
and evenings of the first eight or ten days after the 
newly hatched young have made their appearance, 
as they are generally sluggish during these times, 
and huddle together until after sunrise." 



INJURING THE LEAVES. 253 

The third head given above, that of trapping, in- 
cludes ditching, trenching, and the use of pans cov- 
ered with coal oil, or coal tar. In the first two pro- 
cesses, ditches or trenches are dug in favorable situa- 
tions, into which the young insects are driven. Prob- 
ably the use of pans covered with coal oil will be as 
simple and advisable a method, unless we except that 
of rolling, as can be employed in most infested 
districts. A small pan which is well adapted for the 
purpose is described as follows : "A good and cheap 
pan is made of ordinary sheet iron eight feet long, 
eleven inches wide at the bottom, and turned up a 
foot high at the back and an inch high at the front. 
A runner at each end, extending some distance be- 
hind, and a cord extending to each front corner, 
completes the pan, at a cost of about $1.50." The 
upper surface of the bottom is wet with kerosene, 
and the pans are pulled rapidly through the field by 
boys who take hold of the ropes. 

The use of destructive agents, such as London 
purple, Paris green, and the like, has not been 
attended with any very great success when applied 
on a large scale. But for limited areas, doubtless a 
great many of the locusts may thus be easily de- 
stroyed. A mixture which has been successfully 
employed, consists of "arsenic, sugar, bran, and 
water, the proportions being one part, by weight, of 
arsenic, one of sugar, and five of bran, to which is 
added a certain quantity of water. The arsenic and 
bran are first mixed together, then the sugar is 



254 INSECTS AFFECTING GRASS. 

dissolved in water and added to the bran and arsenic, 
after which a sufficient quantity of water is added 
to thoroughly wet the mixture. About a teaspoon- 
ful of this mixture is thrown upon the ground at 
the base of each tree or vine (in gardens and or- 
chards) and left to do its work. The poison works 
slowly, seldom killing its victim within eight or ten 
hours after it has been eaten." 




PART VI. 



INSECT PESTS 

OF 

DOMESTIC ANIMALS 

AND THE 

HOUSEHOLD. 




PLATE VI I — The Screw-worm. 



INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

The Screw Worm. 

Compsomyia macellaria. 

The Screw Worm, so far as its injuries are con- 
cerned, is a southern insect. Until recently little or 
no damage from it had been reported outside of 
Texas, but lately it has been injurious in Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and other Southern States. The fly, 
however, occurs throughout America ' from Canada 
to Patagonia,' probably breeding in northern latitudes 
in decaying animal and vegetable matter. Although 
in the South cattle are specially liable to the attacks 
of this insect, it is by no means confined to them, 
for horses, mules, hogs, sheep, dogs, and in some re- 
corded cases even men, suffer on account of it. 

" In all animals alike," according to Dr. M. Francis, 
who has studied this insect carefully, " the eggs, after 
being laid by the fly, hatch into larvse or so-called 
'worms.' The exact length of time this requires 
seems to vary with circumstances. My present 
opinion is that if the eggs are laid in a moist place 
and on a warm day, it requires less than one hour ; 
whereas, if laid in a dry place they seem to dry up 
and lose their vitality. The young larvee, when first 
hatched, are small and easily overlooked. If they 
are hatched on the surface in a drop of blood from 
a ruptured tick, for instance, they attempt to perfor- 
ate the skin, and if hatched in wounds they at once 



258 INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

become buried out of sight. They seem to attach 
themselves by their heads, and burrow their way 
under the skin, completely devouring the soft flesh. 
Occasionally a few are seen moving from one place 
to another, but usually they remain fixed at one 
point. The worms grow steadily in size, and the 
hole in the flesh becomes larger every day. Some- 
times the worm makes tunnels, but not to an}^ depth ; 
they usually stay on the surface. They evidently 
produce considerable irritation, for the part is always 
swollen and constantly bleeding. This swollen, gap- 
ing appearance of the wounds, together with the con- 
stant discharge of blood, are characteristic of the 
presence of worms. It seems to require about a 
week for the worms to become fully grown. At that 
time they are about five-eighths to six-eighths of an 
inch long. They then leave the sore and go into the 
ground, where they pass the pupa state, and hatch 
out as flies in from nine to twelve days." 

In the accompanying plate (VII) the eggs are 
shown at a and b, the first representing a single egg, 
greatly enlarged, and the second a bunch of eggs, 
also enlarged ; the larva is represented at c, and the 
puparium at d and e, the former showing the mode 
of exit of the fly, which is represented at / and g. 

The egg of this insect is is inch long, whitish, and 
cylindrical, with a longitudinal ridge on one side. 
The full-grown larva is \ inch long by \ inch in 
diameter. It is a whitish, footless grub, with trans- 
verse rows of stiff, black bristles at each articulation. 



INJURING CATTLE. 259 

The puparium is brown, and § inch long. The im- 
ago is described as follows: Length, § inch; wing- 
expanse, | inch; color, metallic bluish-green, with 
golden reflections; thorax, with three black, longitu- 
dinal stripes ; head, except central portion of eyes, 
yellow ; legs, black ; wing veins, black ; wings, trans- 
parent, except near base, where they are slightly 
clouded. Entire body furnished with long, black, 
spinose hairs. Proboscis of medium length, with 
dilated tip. 

Remedies. — According to Dr. Francis, the treat- 
ment usually employed consists simply of killing the 
larvae with cresylic ointment, calomel, chloroform, or 
carbolic acid. Inasmuch as the insect is able to de- 
velop freely in decaying animal and vegetable mat- 
ter it is important, as a preventive measure, that all 
refuse be promptly buried or burned. 

The Ox Warble Fly. 

Oestrus bovis. 
During the spring and early summer one may 
often find along the middle of the backs of cattle, 
just beneath the skin, a hard lump, usually having 
in the center an opening, which sometimes is more 
or less of a running sore. These are the " warbles," 
and the lump is caused by the presence of a whitish 
or grayish maggot of the form represented at a, Fig. 
136. Early in summer these maggots wriggle out 
of the warbles, tail foremost, through the opening 
represented at d, and fall to the ground, where, un- 
der such protection as may be at hand, they shorten 



260 INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



for pupation as shown at d, and soon change to the 
pupa or chrysalis state, represented at e. About a 
month later they emerge as adult flies, one of which 
is represented, natural size, at a. These flies pair, 
and the females deposit eggs on the backs of cattle. 
The eggs hatch into grubs that work their way into 
the skin, where they form the warble cells. Their 
mouth parts irritate the flesh, causing an ulceration, 




c d 

Fig. 136. Ox Warble Fly : a, larva ; b, pupa ; c, fly ; d, section of warble. -1 * 

which not only is distressing to the animal, but in- 
jures the hide and beef, and, in the case of dairy ani- 
mals, lessens the quantity of milk produced. 

The beef beneath these warbles has a peculiar, 
diseased, sickening appearance, and is commonly 
called " licked beef." Such beef always commands 
a lower price than that which is unaffected. 

Remedies. — Every warble maggot destroyed in 
spring before it escapes to the ground to pupate, 



INJURING CATTLE. 261 

means that one less fly will be present to lay eggs 
for the coming brood. This should be carefully 
borne in mind, for from it the conclusion is obvious 
that if all the maggots present in the backs of cattle 
of a given neighborhood are killed, the egg-laying 
brood of flies will be exterminated, and there will be 
no injury the next season. There is perhaps no 
other important injurious insect whose numbers can 
be so readily controlled ; and the experience of Eng- 
lish farmers shows that by concerted action and con- 
tinuation of the treatment the amount of warble at- 
tack may be very rapidly lessened. 

Perhaps the simplest remedy to use during spring 
and early summer is to squeeze the maggots out of 
the warbles. When they are nearly full grown this 
can be done with little trouble ; and when smaller 
the opening can be enlarged with a pen knife so as 
to let them out. A pair of medium sized forceps is 
often helpful in removing them. 

Another simple remedy is to apply to the opening 
a little oil or grease, which closes the breathing pores 
of the maggot, thus causing it to die. Kerosene ap- 
plied to the warbles either in autumn, winter or 
spring also destroys them, as does indeed the appli- 
cation of almost any oily or fatty substance. Train 
oil or fish oil is especially commended in England. 
Dr. C. V. Riley says that smearing the animals' 
backs with this substance " is the simplest and easi- 
est method of destroying the warbles, which it does 
by closing the breathing pores on the posterior end 

16 



262 INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



of the body. The destruction of the larvae in this 
way may be effected by one or two applications in 
autumn, and is the most satisfactory method of con- 
trolling the pest." 

It is also frequently recommended to smear the 
backs of the cattle during summer with fish oil, ker- 
osene emulsion, or some similar substance, to pre- 
vent the flies from depositing eggs, but this is a 
much less practical method than that of destroying 
the maggots, because the flies are present nearly all 
summer, making it necessary that the application 
be frequently renewed. 

Cattle Lice. 

There are three species of lice infesting cattle. 
Two of these belong to the group of sucking lice and 
the third is one of the biting lice. They are called 
(1) the Short-nosed Ox-louse; (2) the Long-nosed 
Ox-louse ; and (3) the Biting Ox-louse. 

The Short-nosed Ox-louse (Hsematopinus euryster- 
nus) is represented consid- 
erably magnified at Fig. 
137, a. Full grown females 
of this species are one-sixth 
of an inch long, and the 
males are somewhat small- 
er. The beak or rostrum 
is provided with little 
hooks by which it may be firmly attached to the 
skin, and within these hooks there is a slender suck- 
ing tube having a piercing extremity which the 




Fig. 137. Lice : a, 6, sucking 
ox-lice; c, biting horse- 
louse. Magnified. 



INJURING CATTLE. 263 

insect pushes through the skin of its host, and sucks 
the blood. The eggs are glued to the hairs of the 
cattle, and the young lice do not differ essentially in 
appearance from the adults, except, of course, in size. 
These insects generally infest the neck and shoulders 
of cattle. 

The Long-nosed Ox-louse (Hsematopinus vituli) is 
represented magnified at Fig. 137, b. As will be 
seen, it differs materially in appearance from the 
other species, being at once distinguished by its longer 
and more slender body. It is about one-eighth of 
an inch long, and obtains its food by suction. 

An idea of the form of the Biting Ox-louse (Trich- 
odectes scalaris) may be obtained from Fig. 137, c, 
which represents a closely related insect infesting 
horses. This species differs also in color from 
the sucking cattle lice, being of a reddish hue. 
Its eggs are glued to the hairs of the cattle. It is 
very abundant in all parts of the world where do- 
mestic cattle are found. 

Remedies. — The best method of destroying lice 
on cattle and other domestic animals is to apply a 
thoroughly prepared emulsion of kerosene and soap, 
made as directed in the Introduction (page 20). If 
this is well made it can be applied to cattle and 
horses, hogs and sheep, with no danger of injury to 
them, while it will destroy all the lice with which it 
comes in contact. Professor C. P. Gillette, who first 
gave this method a thorough trial, recommends ap- 
plying it with a force pump and spray nozzle, rubbing 



264 INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

it in thoroughly with the finger tips at the same 
time. It kills the lice and leaves the hair of the an- 
imal in good condition. The lice may also be de- 
stroyed by treating with a strong tobacco decoction 
— a pound of tobacco being boiled in two gallons of 
water — or a wash of carbolic acid soap. But the 
first named remedy is best. 

The Horn Fly. 

• Haematobia serrata. 

This is an imported insect which has lately 

attracted much attention in the Eastern States. It 

is called the Horn Fly because of the peculiar habit 

the flies have of gathering in clusters upon the base 




Fig. 138: a, Horn Fly, magnified; 6, cow-horn with band of rest- 
ing flies, reduced. 

of the horn, as represented at Fig. 138, b. They 
light here to avoid being disturbed by the heads or 
tails of the cattle, but do not pierce the horn or do 
any serious injury to it. On the body, however, 
where they light when feeding, they insert their 
beaks into the skin, injecting at the same time a little 
poisonous secretion which causes irritation and in- 
flammation, and a flow of blood to the spot. This 



INJURING CATTLE. 265 

blood is then sucked into the stomach of the fly. 
Cows thus attacked become restless and irritable, and, 
if the flies are very numerous, they lose flesh and 
give less milk. 

The eggs of the Horn Fly are deposited in freshly 
dropped cow-dung in which the larvae develop, and 
pupate in the soil beneath. There are four or five 
broods each season. During hot weather the trans- 
formations of the insect — from egg to imago — may 
be completed within two weeks. 

Remedies. — Two classes of preventives may be 
used against this insect. The injuries to cattle may 
be prevented by applying to their bodies, by means 
of a sponge, fish oil to which has been added a little 
carbolic acid. Only the tips of the hairs need be 
wet, and the application should be repeated every 
four or five days. This will keep the flies off the 
animals, though it does not kill them. They may 
be killed, however, by the use of tobacco powder, 
dusted on the cattle, especially on the back, tail, neck, 
and base of the horns. Professor J. B. Smith recom- 
mends the use of the carbolated fish oil on the belly, 
udder, and other parts of the body where the tobacco 
cannot well be applied, and the application of the 
powder to the other parts. The larvae also may be 
destroyed by spreading out the cow droppings each 
morning, so that they will dry up, and thus prevent 
the development of the eggs or maggots, or by mix- 
ing plaster with the manure in the stable or field. 



266 INSECTS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



Lice Infesting Horses. 

Three species of lice infest the horse. The first is 
the Sucking Horse-louse (Hsematopinus asini) which 
is represented, considerably magnified, at Fig. 139, a. 
It is somewhat similar to the Sucking Ox-louse, to 
which it is closely related, but 
is easily distinguished from that 
species by the shape of the 
head. It is the rarest of the 
three species infesting the horse, 
the next commonest one being 
the Rarer Biting Horse-louse 
( Trichodectes pilosus) represented a "*& 

at Fig. 139, b, which, as its name "g™; £ gg^iSS^ 
indicates, is less abundant than louse - Ma e nifled - 
the third species — the Common Biting Horse-loUse 
(Trichodectes parumpilosus), which is shown at Fig. 
137, c. This last is the most abundant and annoy- 
ing, and *is especially liable to infest colts or horses 
that have been in pasture for some time. It occurs 
mostly about the head, mane, and tail ; and is gen- 
erally thickest in spring. The front part of the body 
is brownish, and the abdomen is yellowish-white, 
with eight transverse dark bands upon the back. 

Remedies. — The remarks concerning remedies 
for cattle lice are equally applicable to these species. 




INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 

Cockroaches. 

Cockroaches are among the most omnivorous as 
well as omnipresent of the insect pests of the house- 
hold. Their flattened bodies especially fit them to 
dwell in cracks and crevices, in the walls of houses 
in cities, and beneath the loose bark of fallen trees 
in the woods. Here they find congenial retreats and 
flourish abundantly. They take a great variety of 
food. In dwellings they destroy provisions of every 
kind, although, as a partial recompense, perhaps, 
they are also said to prey upon Bed Bugs. 

As has been so often the case with our injurious 
insects, we are indebted to Europe for the cock- 
roaches that are most obnoxious. The American 
Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) occurs commonly 
in the fields and woods, and occasionally is found in 
houses. But the Oriental Cockroach (Periplaneta 
orientalis) and the Croton Bug or German Cockroach 
(Phyllodromia germanica) — both imported species — 
prefer the city dwelling, where, around the steam 
and water pipes of the kitchen, laundry or bathroom, 
they can run about undisturbed. They are noctur- 
nal in their habits, remaining concealed during the 
day, and sallying forth in search of food during the 
night. 

The life-history of the Croton Bug has been admir- 
ably portrayed by Dr. C. V. Riley at Fig. 140. The 



268 



INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 



eggs are laid in a pod or egg-case (/, g) from which 

r W\ 





Fig. 140. Croton Bug : a, first stage ; 6, second stage ; c, third stage ; 
d, fourth stage ; e, adult ; f, adult female with egg-case ; g, egg-case 
—enlarged ; h, adult with wings spread— all natural size except g. 

the young roaches hatch. They pass through vari- 
ous moults as represented at a, b, c, d, and do not ac- 
quire wings until full-grown (e,f, h), when they are 
nearly two-thirds of an inch long. The other roaches 
develop in a similar way. 

Remedies. — The best remedy for these pests is a 
good quality of insect powder, such as Buhach. In 
recommending this, Dr. Riley says : 

" Just before nightfall go into the infested rooms 
and puff it into all crevices, under base-boards, into 
drawers and cracks of old furniture — in fact wher- 
ever there is a crack — and in the morning the floor 
will be covered with dead and dying or demoralized 
and paralyzed roaches, which may easily be swept 
up or otherwise collected and burned. "With clean- 
liness and persistency in these methods the pest may 
be substantially driven out of a house, and should 
never be allowed to get full possession by immi- 
grants from without." 



INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 



269 



The Buffalo Carpet Beetle. 

Anthrenus scrophularise. 
The Buffalo Carpet Beetle is supposed to have been 
introduced into America from Europe about 1876, 
since when it has done great damage and spread over 
a large portion of the eastern and central United 
States. The adult beetle (Fig. 141, d) is about a 




Fig. 141. Carpet Beetle : a, larva, back view ; 6, larva, view of under 
side ; c, pupa ; d, beetle. Magnified. 

quarter of an inch long, black, with white spots, as 
shown in the figure, and has a red stripe along the 
middle of the back. Eggs are laid by these beetles, 
probably upon carpets themselves, and soon hatch 
into larvae that feed upon the carpets. It is in this 
larval stage that the damage is done. The larvae 
cast their skins occasionally as they develop, and the 
time required for them to become full grown varies 
according to the temperature and food-supply. When 
full grown they are peculiar, hairy creatures of the 
form represented at a and b of the accompanying 



270 INSECT PESTS OP THE HOUSEHOLD. 

figure. They now hide in a crack or crevice, and 
change to pupse (c) inside the hairy skin. In a short 
time they again change to the beetle state, the beetles 
emerging throughout the fall, winter, and spring. 
There is probably, in ordinary cases, but one genera- 
tion a year, at least in the Northern States. 

Remedies. — In Europe this insect does very little 
.damage, because rugs are used instead of carpets. 
Rugs are taken and shaken so often that the insects 
have no opportunity to multiply. The use of rugs 
should therefore be encouraged in regions where the 
insect is troublesome. 

Perhaps the most practical way of really destroy- 
ing these insects in carpets without taking them up, 
is to lay two or three thicknesses of wet cloths on 
the carpet, and iron with hot flat irons. Steam will 
thus be generated, which will permeate the carpet 
and kill the insects. The pests may readily be 
killed in furniture or garments by the use of benzine 
or gasoline, applied as a spray by some sort of atom- 
izer, always remembering that these substances must not 
come in contact with pre in any shape. "At house- 
cleaning time," says Dr. Riley, " as many of the 
rooms should be bared at once as possible, and the 
housekeeper should go carefully over the rooms, re- 
moving all dust, and with a 'hand atomizer charged 
with benzine should puff the liquid into all the floor 
cracks and under the base-boards until every crevice 
has been reached. The carpets themselves, after 
thorough beating, should be slightly sprayed with 



INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 271 

the same substance, which will quickly evaporate, 
leaving no odor after a short time. The inflamma- 
bility of benzine, however, should be remembered, 
and no light should be brought near it." 

The Bed Bug. 

Acanthia ledularia. 

A short account of this notorious pest will be suffi- 
cient for the present purpose. Many people will rec- 
ognize the peculiar flat- 'N. ^ 
tened creatures repre- . , )\l/j r 
sented at Fig. 142, as J*SmL >^V^Sr ' 
former acquaintances, /fHllllft^ ^^^^m^-^s 
and those who do not so r^p^A \ (blS^Ej? 
recognize them are to be a )^SW { 
congratulated. The eggs * ^^ 
of these insects are laid ^ ^ !^r ug; 
in the cracks of walls and bedsteads, and the young 
(a) do not differ essentially, except in size, from the 
adult (6). Bed Bugs are able to exist a long time 
without food, and on the other hand, when food is 
abundant they multiply with remarkable rapidity. 

Remedies. — Spraying the cracks of walls, beds, 
etc., where these insects occur with benzine is the 
best manner of destroying them. This substance 
kills the eggs as well as the adults. Great care, of 
course, should be taken to prevent their ingress to 
the house. 



272 INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 



Clothes-moths. 

There are three closely related insects in the United 
States which may properly be called clothes-moths. 
They are quite similar in appearance, but the larvae 
differ somewhat in feeding habits. The commonest 
one probably is the Case-making Clothes-moth ( Tinea 
pellionella), the life-history of which Dr. Riley has 
thus summarized : " The small light-brown moths, 
distinguished by the darker spots at intervals on the 
wings, begins to appear in May and are occasionally 
seen flitting about as late as August. They pair 
and the female then searches for suitable places for 
the deposition of her eggs, working her way into 
dark corners and deep into the folds of garments, 
apparently choosing by instinct the least conspicu- 
ous places. From these eggs hatch the white, soft- 
bodied larvse, each one of which begins immediately 
to make a case for itself from the fragments of the 
cloth upon which it feeds. The case is in the shape 
of a hollow roll or cylinder and the interior is lined 
with silk. As they grow they enlarge these cases 
by adding material to either end and by inserting 
gores down the sides which they slit open for 
the purpose. The larva reaches its full growth 
toward winter, and then, crawling into some yet 
more protected spot, remains there torpid through 
the winter within its case, which is at this time 
thickened and fastened at either end with silk. The 
transformation to pupa takes place within the case 



INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 273 

the following spring, and the moths soon afterward 
issue. The larva feeds in all woolen cloths, and also 
in hair-cloth, furs and feathers." 

Remedies. — Under this head we cannot do better 
than to quote the following remarks by Dr. Riley, who 
lately published an admirable series of articles, first 
in Good Housekeeping and afterwards in Insect Life, 
to which we are largely indebted for the information 
and illustrations on this subject : He says : " During 
the latter part of May or early in June a vigorous 
campaign should be entered upon. All carpets, 
clothes, cloth-covered furniture, furs and rugs should 
be thoroughly shaken and aired, and, if possible, ex- 
posed to the sunlight as long as practicable. If the 
house is badly infested, or if any particular article is 
supposed to be badly infested, a free use of benzine, 
in the manner mentioned in my last article, will be 
advisable. All floor cracks and dark closets should 
be sprayed with this substance. Too much pains 
cannot be taken to destroy every moth and every egg 
and every newly -hatched larva, for immunity for the 
rest of the year depends largely — almost entirely — 
upon the thoroughness with which the work of exter- 
mination is carried on at this time. The benzine spray 
will kill the insect in every stage, and it is one of the 
few substances which will destroy the egg. I would 
however, repeat the caution as to its inflammability. 
No light should be brought into a room in which it 
has been used until after a thorough airing and 
until the odor is almost dissipated. 



274 INSECT PESTS OP THE HOUSEHOLD. 

" The proper packing away of furs and winter cloth- 
ing through the summer is a serious matter. A great 
deal of unnecessary expenditure in the way of cedar 
chests and cedar wardrobes and various compounds 
in the way of powders has been urged by writers on 
these pests. But experience fully proves that after a 
thorough treatment in May or June, garments, 
may be safely put away for the rest of the season 
with no other protection than wrapping them closely 
in stout paper, to preclude infection through some 
belated female. My assistant, Mr. L. 0. Howard, 
tells me of an excellent plan which he has adopted. 
He buys for a small sum from his tailor a number 
of pasteboard boxes in which they deliver suits, and 
his wife carefully folds and packs away all clothing, 
gumming a strip of wrapping paper around the 
edges of the cover so as to leave no crack. These 
boxes will last for a life-time with careful use. Others 
use for the same purpose ordinary paper flour sacks 
or linen pillow-cases, which answer well. The suc- 
cess of these means depends entirely on the thor- 
oughness of the preliminary work. Camphor, to- 
bacco, naphthaline, and other strong odorants are 
only partial repellants and without the precaution 
urged are of little avail. 

" Cloth-covered furniture which is in constant use 
will not be harmed, and the same may be said of 
cloth-lined carriages. Where such furniture is stored 
away or kept unused in a dark room, or where the 
carriages are left in a dark coach-house through the 



INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 275 

summer, at least two sprayings with benzine, say 
once in June and once about August first, will be 
advisable. Another plan which will act as a protec- 
tion in such cases is to sponge the cloth linings and 
covers both sides where possible, with a dilute solu- 
tion of corrosive sublimate in alcohol, made just 
strong enough not to leave a white mark on a black 
feather." 

Ants. 

Ants frequently become one of the most annoying 
kinds of household pests by getting into, and run- 
ning over everthing. The species most generally 
troublesome is the Little Red Ant (Monomorium pha- 
raonis,) which is world in its distribution — although 
it is said to have been originally a native of Europe. 

The worker of this 
ubiquitous pest is rep- 
resented at Fig. 143, a ; 
and the female at b, of 
the same figure. The 
nests are made in al- 
most any concealed 

Fig. 143. Little Red Ant : a, female ; „•!■„„ «,'v.„,-.± +1, ^ 

b, worker. Magnified. pOSltlOU about the 

house — under floors, behind base-boards, between 
walls, or in the walks or grass about the house. 
From these nests the foraging parties sally forth and 
over-run the house, devouring or carrying, off par- 
ticles of food of all descriptions, getting into every- 
thing in sight, and often becoming an intolerable 
nuisance. 




276 INSECT PESTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 

Remedies. — The first essential to a successful 
fight with these insects, is to find the location of the 
nests. If they can then be reached it is easy to de- 
stroy them by means of benzine, gasoline, bisulphide 
of carbon, or even hot water — anything in fact, that 
will kill them. If any inflamable, or explosive sub- 
stances are used, of course great care must be taken 
to keep away fire in any form. 

There are certain larger ants that are frequently 
troublesome on lawns, by making their nests above 
the surface of the grass, and thus disfiguring them. 
A simple way of destroying these is recorded by Dr. 
Riley, as follows : A number of holes are punched 
in the nest by means of a pointed stick ; a teaspoon- 
ful of bisulphide of carbon is then poured down 
each hole, and a damp blanket is thrown over the 
nest for a few minutes — then the blanket being re- 
moved the bisulphide is exploded at the mouth of 
each hole by means of a light at the end of a pole. 
The slight explosions drive the poisonous fumes 
down through the underground tunnels, killing off 
the ants in enormous numbers. 

The Little Red Ants may be trapped by means of 
small sponges, saturated with sweetened water, and 
then occasionally dropped into boiling water. But 
this is a much less satisfactory method than that of 
destroying them in their nests. 



INDEX 



Abbot sphinx, 121. 
Acanthia lectularia, 271 
Acheraon Sphinx, 119. 
Acridium ainericanum, 248. 
Aegeria pictipes, 58. 

" polistlforrais, 108. 
" pyri, 65. 
" riibi, 103. 
" tipuliformis, 96. 
" cucurbit*, 176. 
Agrotis saueia, 198. 
Agrilus ruflcolis, 107. 
American cockroach, 267. 

locust, 248. 
Anarsia lineatella, 87. 
Anasa tristis, 178. 
Anisota rubicunda, 140. 
Anisopteryx pometaria, 39. 

" vernata, 41. 

Anthonomus rnusculus, 95. 

" quadrigibbus, 54. 

Anthomyia brassicse, 188. 
" ceparum, 203. 

Anthrenus scrophularise, 269. 
Ants, 21, 275. 
Apatela occidentalis, 59. 
Aphides, 158. 
Aphis, apple, 38. 

" brassica?, 200, 

" cherrv, 72. 

" corn, '209, 216. 

" maidis, 209, 216. 

" mali, 38. 

" peach, 80. 

" black peach, 79. 

' ' persicte-niger, 79 

" prunifolii, 58. 

" toothed willow, ] 50. 

" willow grove, 148. 

" willow twig, 147. 

" woolly, 35. 
Apparatus for collecting insects, 22. 
Apple, insects affecting, 29, 56. 

" " " treatment for, 56. 

" aphis, 38. 

" curculio, 54. 

" leaf-roller, lesser, 42. 

" leaf-skeletonizer, 49. 

" maggot, 52. 

" worm, 51. 

" tree borer, flat-headed, 32. 

" " " round-headed, 29. 

" caterpillar, yellow-necked, 46. 

" tent caterpillar, 42. 
Applying insecticides, 21. 
Army worm, 14, 16. 
Arsenic, white, 18. 
Asparagus beetle, 204. 



Bacterial diseases of insects, 16. 
Bag-worm, 138. 
Bark-louse, oyster-shell, 33. 

" " scurfy, 66. 
Bean Weevil, 185. 
Bed Bug, 271. 
Benzine, 21. 

Beautiful wood nymph, 125 
Bisulphide of carbon, 21. 
Bird grasshopper, 248. 
Biting insects, 13. 
Blackberrv, insects affecting, 103, 107.. 

gall-fly, 107. 
Blissus leucopterus, 222. 
Blister beetle, black, 173. 

" " striped, 171. 

Blue jay, 143. 
Boll worm, 218. 
Books about insects, 26. 
Box-elder bug, 145. 
Breeding cages, 24. 
Broad-necked Prionus, 127. 
Bruchus obsoletus, 185. 

pisi, 186. 
Buffalo tree-hopper, 36. 

" carpet beetle, 269. 
Buhach, 19. 

Cabbage, insects affecting, 188. 
aphis, 200. 

butterfly, Southern, 191. 
" maggot, 188. 
" worm, imported, 190. 
" Plusia, 193. 

flea-beetle, 196. 
" cut- worms, 197. 
" bug, Harlequin, 199 
Cabbage worm, 20. 
Caccecia cerasivorana, 75. 
Calandra granaria, 232. 
Canker worm, 39. 

fall, 39. 
" " spring, 40. 

Carbolic acid, 20. 
Carbon bisulphide, 21. 
Carpet beetle, 269. 
Carpocapsa pomonella, 51. 
Caterpillar hunters, 14. 
Catocala ultronea, 59. 
Cattle lice, 261. 
Cecidomvia grossularire, 102. 
" destructor, 220. 

" leguminicola, 237. 

" tritici, 231. 

Cecropia emperor-moth, 131. 
Celery caterpillar, 9, 175. 
Ceramica picta, 194. 
Ceresa bubalus, 36. 



17 



278 



INDEX. 



Cherry, insects affecting, 72. 

" " " treatment for, 76. 

" aphis, 72. 
" tree leaf -roller, 75. 
Chinch bug, 12, 13, 16, 20, 21, 222. 
Chionaspis furfurus, 66. 
Chrysobothris femorata, 32. 
Clisiocanipa anaericana, 42. 
Clothes-moths, 272. 

" " Case-making, 272. 

Clover, insects affecting, 234. 
" hay-worm, 240. 
" leaf-beetle, 235. 
" root-borer, 234. 
" seed-midge, 237. 
" stem-borer, 239. 
Cockroaches, 267. 
Coal tar, 21. 

Coccotorus prunicida, 62. 
Codling moth, 51, 70. 
Collecting insects, 22. 

net, 22. 
Colorado potato beetle, 13, 169. 
Complete transformations, 12. 
Compsomyia macellaria, 247. 
Conotrachelus nenuphar, 60, 67, 80. 
Contagious diseases of insects, 16. 
Corn, insects affecting, 209. 
" aphis, 215. 
" root aphis, 209. 
" " worm, southern, 212, 
" " " western, 210. 
" stalk-borer, 214. 
" web-worm, 215. 
" worm, 218. 
Craponius inrequalis, 128. 
Crepidodera cucumeris, 177. 
Crioceris asparagi, 204. 
Croton-bug, 267. 

Cucumber, insects affecting, 176. 
" flea-beetle, 177. 

' ' beetle, striped, 179. 

" " twelve spotted, 182. 

Currant, insects affecting, 96, 102. 

" " treatment for, 102. 

aphis, 100. 
bark-louse, 102. 
borer. American, 102. 

" imported, 96. 
fly, 102. 

fruit-worm, 102. 
leaf-hopper, 99. 
span-worm, 102. 
worm, imported, 97. 
Cut worms, 14, 16. 
Cyanide bottle, 23. 

Dactylopius adonidum, 160. 
•' destructor, 160. 

Dakruma convolutella, 101. 
Dalmatian insect powder, 19. 
Darapsa myron, 121. 
Datana angusii, 142. 
" ministra, 46. 
Desmia maculalis, 124. 
Diabrotica vittata, 179. 



Diabrotica punctata, 182, 212. 

" longicornis, 210. 
Diastrophus nebulosus, 107. 
Dicerca divaricata, 72. 
Diseases of insects, 16. 
Disippus butterfly, 59. 
Domestic animals, insects affecting 257 
Doryphora 10-lineata, 169. 
Dragon-flies, 14. 

Elaterida?, 213. 

Elm leaf-beetle, imported, 136. 
Emphytus maculatus, 92. 
Empoa albopicta, 99. 
Emulsion, kerosene, 20. 
Enemies of injurious insects, 13. 
Entomophthora, 17. 
Epicserus imbricatus, 173. 
Epicauta pennsylvanica, 173. 

" vittata, 171. 
Epochra canadensis, 102. 
Eudemis botrana, 126. 
Eudryas grata, 125. 
Eufitchia rebearia, 102. 
Eupithecia interruptofasciata, 102. 
Eurycreon rantalis, 215. 
External irritants, 17. 

Pall web-worm, 135. 

Flat-headed apple-tree borer, 32, 63, 70, 

81. 
Flat-headed cherry-tree borer, 72, 81. 
Flea-like negro-bus*, 107. 
Flowers, insects affecting, 158. 
Four-striped plant-bug, 102. 
Fungous diseases of insects, 16. 

Galeruca xanthomelsena, 136. 
Garden Web- worm, 215. 
Gasoline, 21. 
German cockroach, 267. 
Gooseberry, insects affecting, 96, 102. 
" fruit-worm, 101. 

" midge, 102. 

Gortyna nitela, 214. 
Grain aphis, 227. 

" weevil, 232. 
Grape, insects affecting, 108, 127. 

" berry moth, 126. 

" caterpillar, 15. 

" curculio, 128. 

" phylloxera, 21, 109. 

" root-borer, 108. 

" seed maggot, 128. 

" sphinx moths, 119. 

" vine beetle, spotted, 117. 
" flea-beetle, 63, 114. 

" " leaf -hopper, 122. 

" " leaf-roller, 124. 

" " sphinx, green, 121. 
Graphops pubescens, 85. 
Graptodera chalybea, 114. 
Grass, insects affecting, 242. 
Grasshoppers, 247. 

bird, 248. 
" western, 248. 



INDEX. 



279 



•Grasshoppers red-legged, 249. 
Gray dagger-moth, 59. 
Green-striped maple worm, 140. 

Hsematopinus eurvsternus, 262. 

" vituli, 263. 

" asini, 266. 

Hsematobia serrata, 264. 
Harlequin cabbage-hug, 199. 
Heliothis armigera, 218. 
Hellebore, 19, 22. 
Hessian fly, 220. 
Horn fly, 264. 
Horse-louse, sucking, 266. 

biting, 266. 
Horned span-worm, 59. 
Hyphantria cunea, 135. 
Hylastes trifolii, 234. 

Imbricated snout-beetle, 173. 
Imported cabbage worm, 16, 19. 
" currant-borer, 96. 
" currant worm, 19, 97. 

" elm leaf -beetle, 136. 
Incomplete transformations, 12. 
Insect powder, 19. 
Insects, books about, 26. 

" collecting and preserving, 22. 
Insects, diseases of, 16. 
" enemies of, 13. 
" parasitic, 15. 
" pins for, 24. 
" predaceous, 14. 
" rearing, 24. 
Insecticides, applying, 21. 

■' the principal, 17. 

Internal poisons, 17. 
Introduction, 9. 
Isosoma vitis, 128. 
" hordei, 230. 
" tritici, 230. 
" grande, 230. 
Ithycerus noveboracensis, 81. 

June bug, 74. 

Kerosene, 20. 

Kerosene emulsion, 20. ■ 

Lachnosterna fusca, 74. 
Lachnus dentatus, 150. 

" strobi, 151. 
Lady-beetle, 14. 
Languria mozardi, 239. 
Leaf-crumpler, 47. 
Leaf-roller, lesser apple, 42. 
" " cherry, 75. 
" " strawberry, 89. 
Leaf-skeletonizer, apple, 49 
Lecanium persicte, 81. 

" pyri, 70. 

" ribis, 102. 

Leptocoris trivittatus, 145. 
Lesser apple leaf-roller, 44. 
Limenitis disippus, 59. 
Little red ant, 275. 



Lixus concavus, 183. 
London purple, 18, 22. 
Lygus pratensis, 93. 

Macrodactylus subspinosus, 115. 

Maple bark-louse, 127, 143. 

May beetle, 74. 

Maple worm, green-striped. 140. 

Meadow maggot, 243. 

Mealy bugs, 160. 

Melanoplus femur-rubrum, 249. 

" spretus, 248. 

Melanoxanthus, 147. 

" salicis, 147. 

" Bslioti, 148. 

Meromyza americana, 229. 
Moncomorium pharaonis, 275. 
Murgantia histrionica, 199. 
Mytilaspis pomorum, 33. 
Myzus cerasi, 72. 

" persicse, 79. 

" ribis, 100. 

Natural enemies of injurious insects, 

13. 
Nematocampa fllamentaria, 59. 
Nematus ventricosus, 97. 
New York weevil, 81. 

Oberea bimaculata, 105. 
Oecanthus niveus, 106. 
Oestrus bovis, 259. 
Onion, insects affecting, 203 

" maggot, 203. 
Oriental cockroach, 267. 
Orgyia leucostigma, 133. 
Oyster-shell bark-louse, 33, 70 
Ox warble fly, 259. 
Ox-louse, long-nosed, 263. 
" short-nosed, 262. 
biting, 263. 

Pandorus sphinx, 121. 

Papilio asterias, 11, 175. 

Parasitic insects, 15. 

Paria aterrima, 85. 

Paris green, 17, 22. 

Pea- weevil, 186. 

Peach, insects affecting, 77, 81. 

" " " treatment for, 81. 

" aphis, 80. 

" black, 79. 
" tree bark-louse, 81. 
" " borer, 63, 77. 
Pear, insects affecting, 65. 
" " " treatment for, 71. 

" blight beetle, 70. 
" leaf-mite, 68, 71. . 
" tree bark-louse, 70. 
" " borer, 65. 
" " psylla, 70. 
" " slug, 63, 67, 75. 
Pelidnota punctata, 117. 
Pempelia hammondi, 49. 
Periplaneta americana, 267. 
" orientalis, 267. 



280 



INDEX. 



Persian insect powder, 19. 
Philampelus achemon, 119. 
" pandoras, 121. 

Phlegethontius celeus, 165. 
Phoxopteris comptana, 89. 
Phycis indigenella, 47. 
Phyllotreta vittata, 196. 
Phyllodromia germanica, 267. 
Phylloxera vastatrix, 111. 
Phytonomus punctatus, 235. 
Phytoptus pyri, 68, 71. 
Pieris rapse, 190. 

" oleracea, 191. 

" protodice, 191. 
Plant-lice, 158. 
Platysamia cecropia, 131. 
Plum, insects affecting, 58, 63. 

" " " treatment for, 63. 

" aphis, 58. 

" Catocala, 59. 

" curculio, 60, 70, 76, 80. 

" gouger, 62. 

" leaf caterpillars, 59. 

" sphinx, 59. 

" tree' borer, 58. 
Plusia brassica?, 193. 
Poecilocapsus lineatus, 102. 
Polyphemus moth, 59. 
Potato stalk-weevil, 16S. 

" beetle, Colorado, 169. 

" insects affecting, 168. 
Predaceous insects, 14. 
Preserving " 24. 
Primary parasites, 16. 
Princip'al insecticides, the, 17. 
Prionus, broad-necked, 127. • 

" laticollis, 127. 
Psenocerus supernotatus, 102. 
Psylla pyri, 70. 

Psyllobora twenty-maculata, 217. 
Pulvinaria innumerabilis, 143 
Pyrethrum, 19. 

Raspberry, insects affecting, 103, 107. 
" cane-borer, 105. 

" root-borer, 103. 

root gall-fly, 107. 
slug, 104. 
" span-worm, 107. 

Red-headed woodpecker, 143. 
Red-necked Agrilus, 107. 
Red-shouldered Sinoxylon, 127. 
Red spider, 159. 
Rhodites radicum, 107. 
Rhubarb curculio, 183. 
Robber-flies, 14. 
Rocky Mountain locust, 21. 
Rose, insects affecting, 154. 
" beetle, 116. 
" bug, 116. 
" chafer, 115. 
" leaf-hopper, 156. 
" slug, 154. 
Rosy Dryocampa, 141. 
Round-headed apple-tree borer, 29, 70. 
Sannina exitiosa, 77. 



Saperda Candida, 29. 
Scale-lice, 161. 
Scelodonta nebulosus, 85. 
Schizoneura lanigera, 35. 
Screw worm, 257. 
Scurfy bark-louse, 66. 
Secondary parasites, 16. 
Selandria cerasi, 67, 75. 
" rosse, 154. 
" rubi, 104. 
Setting boards, 25. 
Shade trees, insects affecting, 131. 
Sinoxylon basilare, 127. 
Siphonophora avense, 227. 
Skeletonizer, apple leaf, 49. 
Snowy tree cricket, 106. 
Sphinx drupiferarum, 59. 
Spotted grape vine beetle, 117. 
" willow-twig aphis, 147. 
Spraying machines, 22. 
Squash, insects affecting, 176. 
" vine-borer, 176. 
bug, 178. 
Strawberry, insects affecting, 85, 94. 

" " " treatment of , 95, 

" crown-borer, 87. 

" crown-miner, 87. 

leaf- roller, 89. 
" root-worms, 85. 

slug, 92. 
" thrips, 95. 

" weevil, 95. 
Striped cucumber-beetle, 179. 

" harvest-spider. 
Sucking insects, 13. 

Tar, coal, 21. 

Tarnished plant bug, 93 

Telea polyphemus, 59. 

Tent caterpillar, apple-tree, 42. 

Teras minuta, 44. 

Tetranychus telarius, 159. 

Thrips tritici, 95. 

Thyreus abbotii, 121. 

Thyridopteryx ephemerasforniis, 138. 

Tile-horned Prionus, 127. 

Tinea pellionella, 272. 

Tipula bicarnea, 243. 

Tobacco, 21. 

Tobacco worm, 15. 

Tomato worm, 15, 165. 

Toothed willow aphis, 150. 

Transformations of insects, 9, 12. 

Tree-hopper, Buffalo, 36. 

Trichobaris trinotata, 168. 

Trichodectes scalaris, 263. 

" pilosus, 266. 

" palumpilosus, 266. 

Trypeta pomonella, 52. 
Twenty-spotted lady-beetle, 217 
Tyloderma fragarise, 87. 
Typhlocyba rosa% 156. 
vitis, 122. 

Variegated cut- worm, 198. 
Veratrum album, 19. 



INDEX. 



281 



Walnut caterpillar, 142. 
Wheat, insects affecting, 220. 

" bulb-worm, 229. 

" joint-worms, 230. 

" midge, 231. 
White arsenic, 18. 
White grub, 20. 
White hellebore, 19. 
White-marked tussock-moth, 133. 
White pine aphis, 151. 
Willow aphis, toothed, 150. 
Willow-grove aphis, 148. 



Willow-twig aphis, 147. 
Wireworms, 213. 
Woodpecker, red-headed, 143. 
Woolly aphis, 35. 
Woolly maple bark-louse, 143. 

Xyleborus pyri, 70. 

Yellow-necked apple-tree caterpillar 
46, 143. 

Zebra caterpillar, 194. 



£KKATA. 



Page 16. Third line from bottom: for sowewh at read some- 
what. Under Fig. 6 : for Entomophora read Entomophthora. 

Page 17. Seventh line from top : for Entomophora read 
Entomophthora. 

Page 38. Under cut : for Fig. 13 read Fig. 12J. 

Page 122. Third line from bottom : for Typlocyba read Typh- 
locyba. 

Page 158. Under cut: for Fig. 83 read Fig. 84. Sixth line 
from bottom : for Fig. 83 read Fig. 84. 

Page 260. Top line : omit " as shown at d." 
" Second line from top : for e read b. 

" Fourth line from top : for a read c. 



APPENDIX. 



ADVERTISEMENTS 



OF 



INSECTICIDE MACHINERY 



AND 



INSECTICIDES. 



When farmers cease to pay a tax of from io to 50 per cent, to insects they will not have 
cause to zvo?-ry so much about their tax to the State. — Correspondent, Ohio Farmer. 

WE HAVE 

"CAPPED THE CLIMAX," 

and our spraying outfits are conceded to be the acme of perfection. Our spraying apparatus 
originated with the needs of the farmer, fruit grower and vineyardist for a means to check the 
ravages of insects to fruits and prevent fungoid diseases of grapes. To attain this end we 
have invested in a large plant for the manufacture of spraying apparatus, and have spent 
years and money experimenting and improving our machinery until, to-day, 

THE CLIMAX NOZZLES. 



THE CLIMAX PUMPS 



Are Unrivaled and Unsurpassed in the following Points of Merit : 

ECONOMICAL. PRACTICAL. 

DURABLE. 
EASY TO MANIPULATE. 

THOROUGH IN WORK. 



Copper and Am- 
monia solutions will 
use tip an iron 
pump in a very 
short time ; only 
brass or copper tuill 
stand it. — H. J. 
Tanner 6? Son, 
Medina, N. Y. 



IMPORTANT. 




THE 
"CLIMAX" TRIPOD PUMPS 

AND THE NOW JUSTLY CELEBRATED 

"CLIMAX" NOZZLES 

ARE ALL COVERED BY PATENTS. 

THE "CLIMAX" NOZZLE 

IS THE 

RECOGNIZED STANDARD 

AMONG THE LEADING FRUIT AND 
GRAPE GROWERS. 



NEW STYLE 
CLIMAX TRIPOD PUMPS. 

In all our pumps the barrel of the pump and plunger are 
brass ; also the valves, which are not liable to get out of order, 
as they are not affected by arsenical solutions, hot water or 
other preparations. A fine strainer is provided at the bottom 
of the suction pipe, which will prevent any obstructions 
from getting into the valves or nozzles. 

(SEE NEXT PAGE.) 



The friend of the fruit and grape grower is the Nixon Orchard and Vineyard 
Cart with its "Climax" Nozzles. — Correspondent, Orchard and Garden. 



SOLID FACTS. 

GRAPE AND FRUIT GROWERS, 

Stop just one minute and think how many millions of dollars are lost annually by the ravages of 
insects and fungus diseases of grapes. These losses are so great that the government is now 
spending large sums of money, in annual appropriations to Experiment Stations, to discover 
remedies to check this devastation. " Spraying" is the recommended remedy. 

OUR ORCHARD AND VINEYARD CART. 



THIS CUT REPRE- 
SENTS OUR O. AND 
V. CART WITH THE 
SHAFTS DETACHED 



It is Equipped with 
"Climax" Nozzles, which 
are Adjustable, so that 
the spray may be given 
any desired direction. 
The Orchard and Vine- 
yard Cart is adapted for 
all purposes. 




THE NIXON NOZZLE & MACHINE CO., 

DAYTON, OHIO, U. S. A. 



THE SECRET OF LARGE CROPS Is fully expounded in a neatly illustrated little 

book we have isaued snd entitled " Spraying at 

the Right Time." In it we give valuable formulas from the leading authorities, and describe 
all our spraying outfits. Send us your name and address and we will mail it to you FREE. 



Our Spraying Outfits are Cheapest and Best. 

Tfie perfection Out-fit. 

Stirs the liquid automatically, and 
will Spray 100 Trees Per Hour. 

Has Ten feet of discharge hose, and a 
Graduating spray nozzle, and suction 
pipe ready to mount on a barrel. Can 
be fitted with brass cylinder, plunger 
and rod when so ordered. 

Don't buy an inferior machine when 
you can get a " Perfection " at the 
same price. 

We also manufacture the 
Victor Improved Horse Power 
Spraying Machine. 

Especially adapted for spraying Vine- 
yards and Orchards. 

Oup Jieux I^napsaek Spt*ayei*. 

For Vineyards, Nurseries, Fruit Orchards and Potato Fields. 

This Machine consists of a copper reservoir, holding six gallons. The 
pump is made entirely of brass and copper, and can neither corrode nor 
rust. There is a large air chamber, as shown 
in the engraving, which will keep up the pres- 
sure and continue to discharge the spray for 
nearly one minute after the operator stops 
pumping. A brass pipe, fifteen inches in length, 
with a stop cock, is furnished with each ma- 
chine. The nozzle is the celebrated " Vermorel " 
so highly recommended by Prof. Riley, and 
gives universal satisfaction. This machine is 
adapted for applying remedies in the treatment 
of black rot, mildew, and other diseases of the 
grape, as well as the treatment of leaf and po- 
tato blight. 

A funnel for filling the tank is furnished with each outfit, I| 
in which is a fine Wire Strainer that permits no leaves or " 
dirt to pass into the tank. 





Our Machines are Guaranteed First Class 
every respect. 



FIC. 50. 

n Field Force Pump Co, 

LOCKPORT, N. Y. 




THE GOULDS IIFWPG CO., 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

HIGH GRADE 

SPRAY PUMPS, 



FOR 



Orchard, Field or Garden Service. 

Our Catalogue embodies a complete line of Portable 
and Semi-Portable Pumps, Appliances, &c. 



FACTORY : 
Seneca Falls, N. Y., U. S. A. 



WAREHOUSE: 

16 Murray Street, New York. 







The Excelsior Sprayer. 




" 1 **MSM iV j L; 



Spray your Fruit Trees & Vines. 

Wormy Fruit and Leaf Blight of Apples, Pears, Cherries, 
Plum Curculia prevented by spraying with the EXCELSIOR 
SPRAY PUMP. Grape and Potato Rot prevented by using 
EXCELSIOR KNAPSACK SPRAYER ; also injurious in- 
sects which infest Currants, Gooseberries, Raspberries and 
Strawberries. 

Perfect Fruit always Sells at Good Prices. 



Catalogue showing all injurious insects to fruits mailed 
free. 

Large stock of Fruit Trees, Vines and Berry Plants at 
Bottom Prices. 

Address, WM. STAHL, Quincy, Illinois. 



TIHIIE 



m. j. c. Vineyard, Orchard and Potato 

SPRAYING JWACHlflES . 

Attention is called to the Two New Spraying Machines 
of the M. J. C. type. 

Tie m.J.c. Yiuegaifl & Mam Spraying Me 

A thoroughly well-made, geared machine, brass throughout, 
adapted for both vineyard and orchard use. Drawn by one 
horse, with seat in front of spray, and automatic agitator. 
Provided with a new nozzle that throws the spray wide or 
narrow, and distributes the solution over the whole surface, a 
thing no other nozzle will do. It throws a finer mist, and is 
less than one-tenth the trouble by way of clogging, as well as 
being a great deal more simple and durable. 

I ALSO MANUFACTURE THE 

M. J. C. 



Potato k Orchard 

Spraying Machine. 




Shown in the Cut. 

This machine has the same style nozzle and agitator, and 
is constructed on the same principles as the M. J. C. Vineyard 
and Orchard Machine — but it is operated with two horses and 
can not be used in vineyards. This machine is guaranteed to 
spray potatoes more thoroughly and with less trouble than any 
machine before the public. N 



SEND FOR CIRCULARS. 



Address, M. J. CASWELL, Inventor and Sole Proprietor, 
Postoffice address: Box 17, Sandusky, 0. 



SPRAY YOUR FRUIT TREES. 



$17 



SPRAYING OUTFIT 

EXPRESS PAIO, JET-OR 



Outfit Combines Three Complete Brass Machines. 



Will Thoroughly Spray a Ten-Acre Orchard Per Day. 



A VALUABLE ILLUSTRATED BOOK (WORTH $5.00) ON "OUR INSECT FOES" 
GIVEN TO EACH PURCHASER, My agents are making from $5 to $20 per day. GOODS 
GUARANTEED AS REPRESENTED OR MONEY REFUNDED. Don't buy a spraying 
outfit until you receive my Illustrated Catalogue, Price List and other valuable matter on 
spraying fruit trees and vines. 

In the Annual Report of the Ohio Experiment Station for 1890 Prof. C. M. Weed says : 
" Queries frequently reach this Station concerning low priced spraying pumps for use in 
small orchards and about the home grounds. There are a number of such machines on 
the market. One of the most satisfactory ones which I have tried is manufactured by P. 
C. Lewis, Catskill, N. Y., the price of which, delivered express free, is $5.50. I have used 
this pump more or less for several years and can conscientiously recommend it for the 
purposes stated above." 

ADDRESS 

P. C. LEWIS, CATSKILL, N. Y. 



Spraying 
Fruit 
Trees. 



Prof. J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist, Albany, N. Y., says : 
" The experience of the last few years has shown us that a 
very large proportion of our most destructive insect pests can 
be controlled by spraying some liquid insecticide by means of 
a suitable force pump. The best insecticide for use against 
fruit insects is undoubtedly Paris Green or London Purple. Of 
these two, I do not hesitate to recommend ' London Purple ' in 
preference It is quite as effective, is less liable to burn the 
foliage ; there is less danger from accidental poisoning from it, 
it is less expensive, and is held more easily in mixture with 
water." 

m/ \y \y \j/ 
■A\ 7?\ 7T\ A\ 

LONDON 

PURPLE 

Is used almost invariably by Farmers, Fruit Growers 
and others, for spraying to destroy the Codlin Moth, 
Canker Worm, Curculio, Elm Beetle, Potato Bug, and 
all Leaf Eating Caterpillars and Insects. 

For circular of opinions, etc., address, 

HEMINGWAY'S 

" LONDON PURPLE " CO., Limited, 

NEW YORK, N. Y. 



Hammond's Slug Shot Works, 



FISHKILL-ON-HUDSON, 



NEW YORK, 



MANUFACTURE 



Insecticides and Fungicides. 



SLUG SHOT KILLS BUGS. 

A cheap powder destructive to insects 
injurious to house and garden plants, 
shrubs, trees, vines, potatoes, melons, 
cabbage, currants, etc. Used in all lat- 
itudes since 1880, with safety to man, 
beast and fowl. Put up in perforated 
screw top canisters, five and ten pound 
packages, and bulk. 




TRADE MARK. 



THRIF JUICE KILLS LICE AND SCALE. 

A concentrated liquid insecticide for destroying the lice, scale, caterpil- 
lars, mealy bugs, etc. Non-Poisonous diluted with one hundred times 
its bulk. Arseniated, for orchard use, dilute four hundred times its 
bulk with water. Put up in packages of from one-half pint to barrel. 

SCROFULARIA FOR CARPET BEETLES, ETC. 

A compound powder of the most effective character as a preventative of 
carpet beetle ravages, and the destruction of bugs, roaches, ants, etc. 

COPPER COMPOUND FOR ROT. 



A powder for use suspended in water, as a preventative of rot in grapes. 



GRAPE DUST FOR MILDEW. 

A thoroughly reliable powder for preventing mil- 
dew on roses, grapes, gooseberries, etc. 

AMERICAN SHEEP WASH. 

For killing all lice that prey on sheep, dogs, cats or 
cattle. Not surpassed by any preparation in the 
world. 




THESE PREPARATIONS ARE SOLD BY THE SEEDSMEN OF AMERICA. 



